The Pen of Power
by Baconpwn
Summary: Team RWBY has been given a pen capable of making the written word real, no matter how unlikely. I'm sure it'll be fine, there's no way they could break anything. Other than Weiss's blood pressure. Rewrite in Progress. On Hiatus
1. To Poke an Ice Queen

The students of Beacon are trained to hunt and destroy creatures of unimaginable horrors, to stand valiantly against the encroaching shadow, seeking to cast mankind back into the dust it crawled from so many years ago. They represent the very best that Remnant has to offer. And yet, nothing could prepare them for the horrors that would unfold this night, the eve before second-year students take their Applications of Dust final. For this night, the silence of Team RWBY's dorm had been shattered by a game of Remnant the Game.

The dorm was immaculate, save a table dominating the heart of the bedroom. Yang and Ruby had set up the game board, splitting the world in half. Ruby had claimed Mistral and Atlas while Yang controlled Vacuo and Vale. Ruby had managed to lose Mistral to a failed Giant Nevermore, leaving Atlas surrounded and friendless. While Yang was thrilled to accept the victory, breaking an hour-long stalemate, she wasn't sure there had been no outside interference; Blake was awfully quick to snatch the coin once it hit the floor. But at last, the moment of victory was nigh. "Rubes, your armies are shattered. Atlas is mine! Mwahahaha!", the loudest member of Team RWBY cackled, revelling in the pleasure of conquering the world.

"Not so fast, sis! I activate my trap!" Ruby turned from the table to look at Weiss. "Wwweeeiiissss! Save me from the foul dragon who dares besmirch your homeland!"

Blake, merrily lost in a book of love and war, had been watching the game over the top of her book. At her leader's whine, she attempted to sink deeper into the bed. Sensing such an act would end in failure, she curled into a ball and braced for the coming explosion.

Silence reigned over the dorm room as Ruby's summoned savior slowly turned in her chair, visibly swelling with rage. "RUBY, YANG! We have our last final in the morning. Will you please just shut up and let me study! This will be our most difficult test yet."

Ruby somberly walked to her partner, though those who knew the young Rose could tell it was exaggerated, and said, "I'm sorry Weiss. I just wanted to have some fun, and you already know all this stuff. I'm sure the smartest girl in the whole world will easily ace that test. Come on, let's play another game. You could use a break and as leader, I order you to -"

"I need to study in silence. I'll be at the library. You two have fun." Weiss, in a blur that would make Ruby proud, grabbed her books and ran out the door before the sisters could act. Her mind racing, her feet carried her along the familiar path to the library. Maybe she should have just played. She knew her dust better than anyone else in this school. No, Goodwitch's dust test is infamous for its difficulty. Beacon's library was one of the one of the largest buildings on campus, standing five stories tall. During ordinary times, the library was fairly busy, often requiring one to climb to the top floor to find a free table. Given the time of year, she expected to have to study in some long forgotten corner. But given the choice, it was still better than trying to ignore the antics of her partner or her sister.

Finding a place to sit proved to be far easier than she expected. The library crowd was reduced to a handful of stragglers, likely due to the late hour and beautiful weather. After respectfully greeting to the aged librarian, she began to study once more. Over the past year, Team RWBY had earned library privileges other second year students hadn't. They were even trusted with locking up the library's main entrance although the floors with more precious books would still be locked before the librarian left for the night. While Weiss was humbled by the incredible trust they placed in her team, she was confident it was Blake's fault. Her faunus teammate had proven numerous times her White Fang training was just as useful for snatching the next book in her current series as it was for stealing a train of dust.

While her mind tried to focus on the material at hand, her heart kept racing back to her team. She had thought she had moved past her all-consuming need for perfection, her actions earlier this evening proved her wrong. She would study for another hour, then return to her dorm and apologize to Ruby for snapping at her. Just because she was under immense levels of stress didn't give her the right to take it out on her partner. She didn't deserve the abuse. For a moment, she considered sending Ruby a message but decided against it. This was something she had to deal with directly.

A loud snap pulled her from thoughts. Looking down, she realized she had snapped her pen in half, leaving a rapidly drying pool of ink on her freshly written notes. In a rush, she wiped out a specially embroidered handkerchief and dabbed at her notes. "Lovely, just lovely," she muttered under her breath. "Now I get to start over." Glancing at what remained of her legible notes, she quickly realized her notes were worthless to begin with. "'While rare in most faunus breeds, a mutagen linked to allergies to Ruby Rose have been discovered in increasing rates among humans,'" she read aloud. "Well, that explains a lot," she said, sighing. No one was ever around to appreciate her jokes. Weiss removed a fresh paper and started to rummage in her bag for a fresh pen. Yet, because nothing was fated to go her way, the second pen was nowhere to be found.

As Weiss began to frantically look for her misplaced pen, a tall young man approached her table. The man was easily taller than Weiss, perhaps 6'2", dressed in black leather pants and a black jacket bearing the insignia of a moon passing in front of a burning sun. "Lovely evening, isn't it? Forgive me for my intrusion but I can tell you need some help. How may I be of assistance?"

Startled, Weiss bit back her initial desire to chew into him for assuming that a Schnee needs help. "I'm fine, just trying to find my pen. Thank you very much."

The man reached into his pocket removing a small ink pot and a quill, made from a dark feather gleaming of bronze and ruby. "I know it's not a traditional pen, but I do have a quill and some ink you can have." The man placed the quill and ink pot on the table next to Weiss. "I wouldn't worry too much about your test, miss. I have it on good authority everyone will pass tomorrow. May I offer a piece of advice? If you are troubled, it can help to write in a journal." He began to walk away before stopping, calling back, "The written word has power, Miss Schnee. It's good to see someone taking it seriously. Perhaps I'll see you at the Umbraporium?" Without waiting for a response, the man walked out into the shadows.

"What just happened?" Weiss muttered to herself. "And now I'm talking to myself. Do I just attract dunces and dolts?" Weiss opened her book on dust usage, only to discover her missing pen was hidden within the book. The hours trickled away as Weiss crammed before the final. Professor Goodwitch had earned a reputation for hands-on tests. The upper-classmen whispered of a previous test which required students to create fire from an ice dust crystal, a feat her books claim to be impossible. Perhaps that was the test? To prove an impossibility would be no mean task, even for one such as her. Weiss stifled a yawn, finding herself reading the same line twice. While a strong will was crucial for manipulation of dust, a good night's rest was just as important and it was late. Weiss packed her bags and headed for her dorm.

The racket from the RWBY dorm could be heard down the hallway. Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "Oh, for the love of dust, is it possible to get any peace and quiet?" she muttered to herself. For the briefest moment, she considered asking Pyrrha if she could join JNPR for the night. She quickly quashed the idea, however. Jaune has been acting far more civil in the past year and didn't want to do anything that could draw his attention once more. When will he see what is right in front of his eyes? Within the dorm, she was greeted with a disaster. The sisters were wrestling on the floor, spreading the pieces of their game across the floor. Blake was sitting on her bed, wearing Ruby's headphones reading a book on dust. "What on Remnant are you dunces doing?" she yelled at the two sisters.

"Weiss, we were… umm.. settling a tie," Ruby sheepishly answered, scratching the back of her head.

"Ugh, I don't want to know anymore. Just clean it up and keep it down. Some of us have a test in the morning." Weiss walked over to her desk to place her bag down. Weiss unlocked a drawer in her desk which hid her most secret belonging: her journal. She removed the quill and its ink from her bag, her fingers finding what appeared to be leaf insignia on the ink pot. A familiar thrill of having something or someone to talk to without fear of reprisal coursed through her. Her team was amazing at times, but nights like tonight made such a conversation a terrifying thought. Yang, she was sure, would make some horrible joke. Ruby would want to hug the problems out, and Blake was just as likely to hand her a self-help book, as to offer advice.

'Dear diary, the team reminded me that some days I want to commit sororicide. I just wish they would be silent at night. I know they mean well by encouraging me to join their games, but I need to prepare for the future. I need to be the best to restore my family's legacy. They are so frustrating some days. But I still tolerate them. Thanks for listening.'

The words slightly glowed fuchsia as she wrote them, darkening to black once she capped the ink pot. She paused for a moment at the unusual sight then closed the journal. Novelty inks were becoming popular among the students. It was possible this was one such ink. "Good night," said Weiss, as she climbed into her bed. "And thank you for being you," she mouthed towards the closet.


	2. Dust in the Wind

**A/N: My apologies for taking so long to release a new chapter. I've been having troubles getting this chapter the way I wanted it. I'm still under impressed by the chapter, so I may edit it at a later time.**

The melodious sound of birds singing outside the dorm windows roused Weiss from her slumber. While mornings were never her favorite time of the day, waking up before the team gave her a chance to mentally prepare for dealing with Ruby and Yang. She took care of her morning rituals, then woke her teammates. Team RWBY woke up with some grumbling, mostly from Yang. The test was going to be administered by Glynda Goodwitch in one of the spare lecture halls at noon time, about six hours from the time Weiss woke the team. She had intended to test the team's prowess and preparation before the test. The plan was quite simple: a brief hour long lecture, followed a two hour testing period, and a one hour debrief session. That would leave two hours for personal tutoring, morning rituals, and getting to the lecture hall. She had never done anything like this before, but after last night, she wanted to do something nice for her team. Seeing as Blake was the only other person on the team who had demonstrated more than basic knowledge of dust on a battlefield, she thought it would be an appropriate gesture of her affection.

As with any plan, contact with the targets left it in ruins. Weiss had begun to prepare for her lecture when she noticed her partner's fidgeting and nervous glances to Myrtlenaster. Her bed was swaying ever so slightly, but it was more than enough to send a jolt of pure terror coursing through the heiress. "Weiss? Can you help me?" Ruby softly asked.

"That's what this is for," she said, gesturing to the oversized card table once more dominating the room. "Why don't you get off that deathtrap, and we can talk about it?"

"I can't use dust. I have no abilities with it, I'm gonna fail the test. I'm going to fail you," she whispered, storm clouds blocking the argent eyes Weiss had come to trust.

"Are you going to get down?" Weiss asked, not expecting much an answer. Ruby would sometimes drop into a melancholy. Normally the task of breaking her from these cafardic states would fall to Yang, but she was taking one of her infamously long showers. Thus, the task fell to Weiss. "Fine. I'm coming up." She focused her will and a series of bright platforms, each emblazoned with her familiar snowflake, burst into being, creating a staircase for her. Climbing the staircase, she said, "Ruby, you won't fail us. You've been a fine leader and you are capable of using dust. I believe in you." She sat on the edge of the bed, a glyph conveniently placed near enough to allow for a quick escape.

"I'm allergic to dust, remember? I'll cause another explosion."

Weiss froze; she had forgotten Ruby's allergies for the moment. "Have you talked to Professor Goodwitch about this condition?"

"She said all huntresses have their own limitations. It was up to us to determine if they would define us. She let me write theoretical papers instead of practical assignments during the semester, but she won't let me do that for the final." Tears welled up in the team leader's eyes, before throwing herself into Weiss's shoulder.

Weiss stiffened at the undesired contact. One of the first unwritten rules the team agreed to was no touching the heiress. A lifetime of neglect had left her with emotional scars that refused to heal. "Ahem. I can show you how to activate dust crystals. Uncut ones shouldn't trigger any responses. You know the theory so it shouldn't disrupt the schedule." She gently attempted to lift her weeping partner from herself, only to fail. "Could you let go?"

Ruby pulled away from her partner, muttering, "Sorry, Weiss. Thanks."

With a sigh, Weiss handed her her last handkerchief, commanding, "Here. Take this and let's get off this monstrosity. We are not practicing dust in bed." Ruby wiped her eyes with the offered handkerchief, the brilliance of her silver eyes gleaming through the fading storms.

The pair leaped from the swaying bed, aided substantially by a series of glowing glyphs, landing gracefully next to each other. Weiss removed from beneath her bed a small white box with slight charring on the side, similar in color and shape as the ones Ruby blew up on their first day at Beacon. Within, a series of dim crystals, their powers mostly depleted, awaited the opportunity to use their last gasps of power in service to man. She removed a small handful of these crystals, a pair of Flame, an Aqua, a Wind, and a Bolt crystal, then closed the box. "Do you remember how to activate them?" At Ruby's nod, she continued, "Pick one."

Ruby scooped the iridescent white Wind crystal from the table and focused on the howling winds within. She could feel the trapped power, but despite her best efforts, she could not produce the blast of wind she knew it held. She couldn't even produce a slight breeze.

"Nothing? Are you following every step in _Amara's Steps to Dust Mastery_?" The textbook had a few flaws Weiss disagreed with, but its steps to use dust were fairly accurate. If Ruby was following the steps, then maybe she really was incapable of using dust.

"Perhaps meditation can help," Blake offered.

The sound of their silent partner startled the partners. "Gah! Blake, when did you get here?"Ruby shouted.

"You should have to wear a bell around the dorm." Weiss paused, then blurted out, "Because you're very quiet, not because you're a faunus. You are a valued friend and not an animal."

Blake rolled her eyes at Weiss's blunder, continuing, "Focus is as important as talent."

"Right. Ruby, sit." Weiss nimbly slipped into a cross legged meditation pose, gesturing for Ruby to join her.

"On the floor? But you said -"

"Just sit," Weiss exasperatedly growled at her partner. Ruby hastily joined Weiss on the floor. "Now close your eyes, and let the world fade away."

The soothing melodic sounds of her partner's voice carried her thoughts to the depths of her mind, to the very caverns of her soul. Despite what Weiss wanted, Ruby discovered she couldn't quite cut the ties binding her mind to the material world. She simply could not rid her mind of her team, of Penny, or of any of the other people she's met while at Beacon. They were her strength. They were her reason for fighting. What would she be without them? Time trickled away for the young leader, wrapped in the love and friendships she had earned over the past two years.

She was pulled from her trance by the sounds of Blake and Weiss arguing in hushed tones. She couldn't hear what they were complaining about, but she could guess. One of Blake's books, one she didn't recognize, had a single page partially torn, flapping in the breeze. The windows were closed, so there was no obvious source for it. The dust crystal in her hand had blackened, thin hairline fractures raced down the once perfect facets. "Weiss, Blake? What happened?"

Blake's amber eyes seemed to burn through Ruby's soul, before softening. "You managed to get the dust to work properly." Her attention shifted to Weiss, who was now picking up the damaged book. "Of course, someone failed to take the proper precautions."

"Hey! Ruby was supposed to create a light breeze, not a tornado." She carefully closed the damaged book, reading aloud, "Ninjas of Love. Was this a particularly rare one? I can get you a replacement one."

A flush of crimson raced up Blake's face before she lunged to grab the book. "N...no. It's fine, I'll replace it when we go to Vale next."

"Tornado? Did I do that? Blake, I'm sorry."

"Next time, try not to put so much of your aura into the dust. Let it do the work for you. Take the power into yourself and shape it into your desired effect. But, that was… acceptable. Now, come on. We'll be late for our test." Weiss grabbed Ruby by her cape and dragged her for a few minutes.

"But we only practiced for a few minutes," Ruby asked, utterly confused by the rush.

"Dolt, you meditated for the better part of six hours," she scolded, a hint of a smile curved her lips. The incident brought back memories of the first time she had learned to use dust. Her childhood had many memories she would prefer to forget, but this was one of the happier ones. Embarrassing, but happy. The trio, once Blake hid her favorite book out of Yang's reach once more, ran throughout the hallway to the lecture hall were the test was destined to be taken.

The lecture hall had a few new additions to it. An old fashioned wood stove sat in the middle of room, next to the lecturer's podium. A massive heap of chopped firewood lined the wall on the opposite side of the door. The lecturer's podium was graced with a crate of ground dust. Professor Goodwitch stood in front of the stove and greeted students as they entered.

Once the entire class entered the lecture hall, Glynda said "Good morning class. Today we will testing your ability to utilize dust. The task is simple: using what is in this room, you are to light this stove within five minutes. You will be called one at a time to complete this task. You will graded on your ability to create the fire. The method utilized will have no bearing on your grade. Miss Schnee, you will be first."

Weiss stepped to the front of the lecture hall, confidence radiating from her. She stepped to the crate of dust. If she was given Bolt dust, then she would light a torch using a piece of firewood. If Aqua, she would ice over the windows to create a lens. Hopefully that would focus the light enough to create a fire. If Wind, she would -. Her thought process was cut off when she realized the crate contained Burn dust, power over fire silently vibrating within the ground dust crystals. "Professor, was there a mistake in the dust?" she asked, barely hiding her confusion. Why would Glynda test her with Burn dust? Was this some sort of joke? Had Yang switched the dust the previous night?

Glynda walked over to the crate. "No, that is what I intended. Is there a problem, Miss Schnee?"

Weiss's eyes twitched in suppressed rage. She was Weiss Schnee! Dust was her birthright. She had been starting fires since she was seven years old. The bed wasn't her fault. "You expect me to start a fire in a wood stove with red dust? This is a ridiculous test of my abilities," Weiss snapped, forgetting for a moment who she was addressing. Glynda's eyes narrowed. Taking the message, Weiss snatched a vial of dust and strode over to the stove. With the barest trickle of her aura, she lit the wood within the stove on fire.

"Very good, Miss Schnee. Please take your seat. Miss Xiao Long, you are next." Weiss chose to prove a point and quenched the fire with a bit Aqua from her personal supply. Glynda replaced the wood within the stove.

"Miss, you said we can use anything in this room, right?" Yang questioned, an idea already brewing. She might be a liability at dust usage, Weiss having banned her from using dust after the cooking incident. Burn is not an acceptable substitute for a working oven. But, creating a fire is speciality of hers.

"That is correct."

Yang walked over to the stove, activating Ember Cecila. She threw the door to the stove open and fired an explosive shell into the stove. A roaring flame proved her success. "Nailed it," said Yang, triumphantly.

"Thank you, Miss Xiao Long. Miss Belladonna, you are next."

Blake darted down the steps. Anything? "Yang, could you please start a fire for me?" Grinning madly, Yang repeated her earlier performance.

"Miss Belladonna! What is the meaning of this? Miss Xiao Long has already been tested." An audible murmur began to fill the room at the possibility of Blake failing the test.

"Professor, you said we could use any resource in this room, yes? And Yang was in the room at the time you made that statement. Ergo, she was a resource available for the purpose of the test." Blake responded, a smug smirk creeping across her face. If Glynda was going to leave an obvious loophole, then Blake was going to use it. The library was due to get a new shipment of books today and the sooner she finished here, the sooner she could devour the adventures awaiting her.

Glynda paused, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "So I did. Very well, you succeeded." Weiss's hand was visibly trembling in barely repressed rage by this point. "Is anyone going to use the actual dust to complete the test?" She waited a minute for someone to answer. Silence reigned supreme. "Fine, I see no reason to waste time. You are free to go. Team RWBY, please wait." The class emptied as if by magic, ready to start their summer break. The team walked to the front of class, carefully avoiding Weiss. "You will clean up this mess. Miss Schnee, as the one person who actually completed this test, you are free to go." Weiss stormed off, her mind racing. Why would Glynda allow such underhanded means of completing the test? Was she under someone's control? Did someone blackmail her? As a future huntress, it was her duty to right the wrongs in the world. She had to save Glynda. Weiss stopped on her way to her dorm, then headed to the library. The library would have the answers she sought.

Twilight had begun to creep across Remnant by the time Ruby, Blake and Yang staggered into the dorm. Sweat and charcoal stains covered the trio. Glynda had had them clean the stove until it shined, replace the firewood in the storehouses, then clean each of the lecture halls in that particular hallway. By the time they were done, Yang and Blake wanted to do nothing more than relax in the dorm and attempt to ignore their inexhaustible team leader.

Weiss had returned to the dorm about an hour earlier, her scroll loaded with the past final tests Glynda had administered and all of the writings the library had on the possibilities of mind control. She hadn't discovered anything noteworthy yet, but she was sure she was on to something. She had just settled into her chair when the door slammed open. The door jolted her from her thoughts, though she already knew who it would be. Only two people felt the urge to slam the door. She yelled, "Gah! Ruby, don't do that! Can't you dunces be quiet for once?"

Ruby walked behind Weiss and gave her a hug. "I'm sorry-" Her words suddenly cut off in the middle of her sentence, though her lips continued to move.

"Don't touch me!" Weiss took a calming breath. She still experienced bouts of panic at contact, but over the past year, she was quite proud she no longer threw the offending party away. "It's fine, just try to be more considerate of others." She stood up from her desk and turned around. Blake had buried her nose into her latest book. Yang was lying on her bed, surfing the net. Ruby was standing next to her, hanging on Weiss's every word. "Excellent, you're all here. I fear someone may have gotten to Professor Goodwitch. In past years, her tests have been nearly impossible. Last year, her class had to clear out all of the Grimm in the Emerald Forest using only red dust. She failed anyone who started a forest fire! Does that sound anything like our test?"

A shower of rose petals float around Weiss as Ruby darts in front of her, arms flapping wildly. "What is it, Ruby?" Weiss sighed. Ruby must want to play games again. She started pointing frantically at her mouth, mouthing something at her. "We are not playing charades, Ruby. Goodwitch could be in trouble."

Ruby walked over to her desk and grabbed a piece of paper. She wrote, 'HELP! I can't talk!', then shoved the paper into Weiss's face.

"Ruby, didn't we just talk about this!" Weiss pulled the paper from her face and read it. "You can't talk? You were just talking a minute ago." Weiss's gaze fell on the window as the moon began to rise in the evening. She had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Have any of you heard of the Umbraporium? I met someone who claimed to be from that place. He mentioned that this test was going to be easy, then gave me a quill. He told me something about the power of the written word, and everything I've written with it has come true. He might be involved with this."

Blake put her book down, the gestured for everyone to follow her. Blake guided them to the Umbraporium, a quaint little shop nestled into the heart of Vale. "Blake, do I want to know why you know where this place is?" Weiss puzzled out loud. There was nothing the young faunus would be interested in, a least at first blush. Blake pointed to an empty shop nearby, then mimed a book. "Was there a bookstore here?" She sadly nodded, as if the closed store had meant something.

The Umbraporium was a poorly lit shop, three long glass cabinets splitting the room into quarters. Within each cabinet, artifacts ranging from rings sparkling with internal power to golden lamps, impeccably cleaned. At the back of the small shop, a tall man, dressed in a black leather jacket stood behind a register. "Good evening, ladies," he announced to the team as they stepped into the shop. "How can I help you, this evening?" Weiss and Ruby walked to the cashier while Yang and Blake wandered off to look at the other products available.

"You! You were the one at the library last night!" Weiss yelled at the man.

"Ah, you're the maiden of the Peann Cumhachta, the Pen of Power." The man looked Weiss up and down, appraisingly.

Weiss crossed her arms glared at him with one her patented ice cold stares. "I don't care what you call it. I want to know why my team is incapable of talking and why you knew Glynda was going to give us an easy test."

"Tell me, did you use the pen? Write something with it?" he said, a hint of a smile danced across his lips, as though he found it amusing.

"I wrote something, yes. But not for something like this to happen!" she snarled defensively. She cared for her team. Yes, they drove her crazy most days, but they were family.

"That pen is a magical artifact. It translates your will into reality via the written word. As long as the written word exists, so shall the magic of the pen. I would recommend not to create, destroy, or meddle with time. As for your little test, a blond boy came here a few days ago looking for help. I gave him a one time charm that encouraged an easier test."

"Magic?" Weiss scoffed. Ruby smacked her on the back of her head, then ran to join Yang and Blake, who were gazing at artifacts near the entrance. "Ruby! Dolt," she muttered. "There is no such thing as magic. Magic is what the uneducated call aura and dust."

"Ma'am, do you know any dust capable of stealing someone's voice? No, because there isn't any. It doesn't really matter what you call it. Just know you can reverse the pen's effect by destroying the paper. Now, will you buying anything today?"

Weiss glared at the man, then grabbed the rest of her team and left, returning to Beacon. Weiss rushed to her desk to take out her journal. With a single motion, she ripped the page out of her journal then hid it once more. She tore the page into shreds. Holding her breath, she glanced expectantly at her team.

"So much for my quiet reading space," Blake muttered to herself.

Ruby bounced up to Weiss. "Youcanmakeanything! Thatissocool!" She excitedly shouted. "What do you want to do with it?"

"We are not using the pen. We don't know enough about it." Weiss opened her locked drawer and tossed the pen in it.

"But, if we did, what would you want to do?" Ruby asked pleadingly.

Yang offered, "I'd want to go on an adventure. Fight dragons and gryphons, rescue maidens from a fearsome beast. That type of thing."

"I would live out one of books," Blake added.

"I want to be able to spend more time with you and Team JNPR," Ruby said softly.

Weiss sighed at the comments. There was no way she could avoid it. "I'd like to try being a faunus for a while. It might be fun to explore the world hiding in plain sight. I could be Weiss Schnee, huntress in training instead of Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. But, no one should be trusted that much power. It's like something out of a fairy tale."

Ruby offered her partner a hug, expecting it to be rejected, but her mother and Yang had taught her to at least offer it. The heiress surprised the entire team by leaning into the hug. The young hooded huntress whispered into her partner's ear, "I think of you as my friend. I know it's not much."

"Thank you, Ruby. It means more than you know." She straightened from the hug and said, "It's been a long day. Let's get some sleep." The team got ready for bed, and fell asleep.

Under the cover of darkness, a figure picked the lock to Weiss's desk. The person removed the pen and began to write. A soft fuchsia glow filled the room, then faded to black once more. "I hope you enjoy."

 **A/N: If there is something you want to see, let me know! The first real usage of the pen will happen next chapter!**


	3. Cat's Meow

Blake woke with the dawn's first light. The rays of light bathed her bed in a comforting warmth. She stretched much like the cat she shared some traits with, a smug smile creeping across her face. It was the first day of summer vacation, she had a riveting book about a noble bred faunus falling for her maid and her bed was as comfortable as she could imagine. Life was good. The delightful silence was fated to last only another hour or two, but she was determined to enjoy it for as long as possible. But first, she had to take a shower before Yang used all of the hot water. She quietly gathered her clothes and a towel and crept into the bathroom. Before she turned on the water, as was her custom after the incident, she sniffed all of the shampoos for any contaminants. A faint shiver raced down her back as the unbidden memory rose of the last time Yang added catnip to their shampoos. She still wondered how she ended up cuddling Zwei. She couldn't remember anything from that night and all lines of questioning led her to one conclusion: her teammates needed therapy. Why would anyone want to skin a cat, nevermind create multiple ways of committing the horrific deed? Cats were amazing animals, always willing to curl up in her lap while she read. They are clearly better than those disgusting dogs.

A shower left her feeling lively once more, a sensation she had learned to relish after her time with the White Fang. She dressed in her typical hunting attire though she left the bow tie off while the team slept. After all, the rest of her team was likely to sleep for another couple hours. She might as well relax for a while. She painstakingly opened the bathroom door, only to just miss Weiss with the door. "Good morning, Weiss," Blake greeted her while gracefully stepping aside. Angering Weiss was a foolish endeavor any time of day, but woe to whoever tempts her wroth before coffee.

"Good morning, Blake," Weiss wearily replied. "Does the dorm appear brighter to you this morning?" she asked, eyes constantly flitting around the room.

"I didn't notice any change," said Blake. She glanced upwards, first at Weiss's head, then to the ceiling. The cause for Weiss's confusion became clear to her. The room wasn't brighter, in fact, the lights weren't even on. The only light was the bright rays of sunlight pooling on Blake's bed. Weiss had demonstrated the night vision of a faunus. Through her bed hair, Blake could see a pair of stark white cat ears proudly protruding from Weiss's head. The corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly at the sight. "Perhaps you're suffering from caffeine withdrawal. I'll get some coffee," she suggested.

"Withdrawal?" Weiss sputtered. "Are you implying I'm addicted? I can assure you, I am not addicted to caffeine, I can stop whenever I want. But if you're getting some, I would appreciate a cup," she requested as she stepped into the bathroom. Blake took one last glance at Weiss's retreating form, then grabbed her bow tie, tied it, then walked down to the cafeteria.

Ruby was enjoying a delightful dream, of damsels and dragons and the heroic knight saving the day. The damsel in question was garbed in a long flowing white dress. In her hands were a pair of icy orbs, staring down a magnificent golden dragon. The dragon was slowly back pedaling from the damsel, telling her, "I don't think it would be a Weiss idea to pick on a dragon. You might get burned." The damsel's icy blue eyes narrowed in rage, hurling the orbs at the dragon.

Moments before the dragon would be hit, a small tornado of roses intercepted the icy attacks. The Rose Knight had arrived! The legendary knight stood between the dragon and the damsel, ready to once more save the day. "Madam Dragon, your strength-" The knight started to begin her legendary diplomatic tactics, only for a blood-curdling scream to wake Ruby from her slumber.

Ruby burst into motion, snatching Crescent Rose from the scythe's cozy bed. "Sorry, sweetheart. I'll make sure you get a nap later," Ruby whispered to her weapon of destruction. She threw the door to bathroom wide open, prepared to bring pain to any who dared to anger her partner.

The door swung open to reveal Weiss standing in front of the mirror, a towel wrapped around her body. She had a trembling hand raised to her head to touch a cat ear of the color of pure driven snow. She whirled around at the opening of the door. "Ruby!" she yelled. "You can't just barge into the bathroom. What if I wasn't decent?"

Ruby lowered Crescent Rose at the most improbable sight. She squealed, "You're a faunus! Why didn't you tell us? Your ears are so cute and they look so soft! Can I touch them?" An eddy of roses filled the bathroom as Ruby moved in for a hug.

"No. I'm not a faunus. No. Go away!" shouted Weiss. Ruby dejectedly walked out of the bathroom and closed the door. Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. At least, her nose was still the way she remembered it. Someone had to have used the pen. But who? She locked it away last night and no one in the dorm can pick a lock except - "Blake," she whispered. Blake had to be the one responsible for her transformation. With a deep sigh, Weiss dressed and prepared to deal with her overly enthusiastic partner. This day was destined to test her patience. "Alright, you can do this. Don't get caught by her puppy dog eyes. These cat ears did not change who I am," she whispered to herself, opening the door. Ruby was sitting on her bed, listening to music while Yang was still asleep. Blake was nowhere in sight, likely still getting coffee.

Weiss walked over to her bed to investigate the current events, only to be attacked by a red-tipped madwoman. "Please! Just one touch, then I won't bother you again!" Ruby pleaded with Weiss, bringing her most deadly weapon to bear: the dreaded puppy dog eyes. No one has been able to resist the allure of her perfected pleading eyes.

Weiss refused to look at her. She would not be defeated by those eyes again. She was stronger than her. "Just this once, Ruby. Please keep it down, your sister is still somehow asleep. And if anyone ever hears about this," threatened Weiss. How did this happen? If Atlas could learn to weaponize her partner's puppy eyes, the Grimm would be no more of a threat than a kitten. Defeated once more by the terror of cookies, she sat down on her bed and braced for the awkwardness that was to come. Wasting no time, Ruby plopped down on the bed next to Weiss and reached up to touch her partner's newest appendage.

Yang was woken to a most peculiar sound, the sound of a purring engine. She took a brief second to ensure she hadn't fallen asleep in the garage again. Neon was a fun cat to party with, but her late night tendencies were killer on Yang's sleep schedule. But that faunus was back in Atlas. Yang had to be going crazy. Why would there be purring in the dorm? Did Blake get a cat? She had been threatening to get one after the last time Zwei had stayed with the team. Mystery solved, Yang slowly sank back into the sandman's sweet embrace, only to be woken by Weiss crying out in sheer pleasure, "Oh Ruby!"

Yang burst out of her bed, ready to defend her sister's innocence to the death, only to see Ruby rubbing Weiss's cat ears. Weiss was leaning into Ruby, ears twitching every time they no longer received the attention of Ruby's fingers. "What the? Weiss has cat ears?" Yang paused, then started laughing.

Weiss blushed and straightened, pulling away from Ruby. "What's so funny?" Weiss demanded.

Still laughing, Yang said, "Weiss is a queen!" A pillow hit Yang in the face with a force far greater than anyone in the dorm save Yang herself could throw it. "Worth it."

A/N: Surprise chapter! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed this story. The idea that people are actually enjoying a story based on a silly thought is the best cure for a rough day. All feline behaviors have been based on my cat, so if she behaved in manners inconsistent with personal experiences, there is a reason.


	4. Feeling a Bit Catty

"I would not have expected Her Majesty to be the first to use the pen," Yang proclaimed, giving Weiss a small curtsy. She had gone out of her way to study the proper etiquette for dealing with royalty specifically to tease Weiss. She just never expected _this_. "Any particular reason for being a cat, or were you just feline-ing it?" Ruby groaned at the terrible pun while Yang ducked as a second pillow was sent soaring across the room. "Careful, ma'am, you might hit someone."

"For your information, I woke up like this. I certainly would not use such a tool for mischief," Weiss averred. Though she would never admit it, the night vision and improved hearing were rather nice. Even now, she could hear someone waking up in Team JNPR's dorm. Were all of her senses heightened? "And give the puns a rest. It is far too early in the morning for such roguery," Weiss requested.

"But not too early for a petting session," Yang teasingly replied. Weiss flushed and gawked in Yang's general direction. Yang relaxed a bit at her reaction. She doubted that anything had actually happened between the two of them, but Weiss did sound like she was enjoying the attention just a bit too much. Ruby could be tempted by adorable creatures, and Weiss did look rather fetching with cat ears. But the horror on Weiss's face was proof of her irreproachability. In spite of that, she couldn't let the moment pass. "What's the matter, Weiss? Cat got your tongue?"

"Why you insufferable - uugghh" whatever Weiss was saying was lost when Ruby reached out to scratch her ears. Weiss seemed to melt in Ruby's hands. Realizing what was happening, her ears twitched away from the source of pleasure and Weiss inched away, ensuring she was out of arm's reach of her overly affectionate partner.

Ruby looked quizzically at Yang and Weiss. "Petting session? I just rubbed her ears. There is nothing wrong with that. Cat ears are so adorable! You should feel them, they're really soft. They are like velvet in your hands," Ruby said. Yang smirked at Weiss facepalming. Ruby's innocence created such superb opportunities to tease Weiss.

Weiss's ears swiveled to face the door. She could hear someone walking carefully towards the dorm and she could just make out the smell of lilies, Blake's preferred perfume, and coffee. At last, she could confront the person most likely responsible for changing her into a faunus. She stood up and walked towards the door. In a swirl of petals, Ruby appeared in front of Weiss. "What's wrong? Yang was just kitten, she didn't mean to hurt you," said Ruby.

"Nice one!" The self-proclaimed goddess of puns congratulated her young acolyte, holding a hand out for a high-five. Ruby used her gift to high five her sister and return to her spot between Weiss and the door. Weiss glared at the pun.

"What? No, everything is as well as it could be, considering the circumstances. Blake is coming down the hallway. I wanted to get the door for her," Weiss reassured her partner. She wanted to make sure Blake couldn't slip away. Getting the door was just intended to lull Blake into a false sense of security.

"Let me get the door," Ruby replied, looking meaningfully at Weiss's ears. Weiss paused, considered the situation, then gestured to the door. In her excitement, Weiss had forgotten the obvious appendages Blake had added to her. If she opened the door, then the entire hallway would know what had happened to her. That would inevitably lead to Nora discovering the pen. She somehow knew everything that happened on the floor. No, for the sake of the world, Weiss's condition had to remain secret. She gestured towards the door and stepped to the side, just out of sight. Ruby opened the door, just as Blake was getting to the door. Blake was carrying four coffee cups on a tray. Each cup bore a name, indicating who they belonged. She looked over her and asked, "You could smell her through the door? That is so cool!" squealed Ruby.

"Here, take these," Blake commanded, as she handed the coffee cups for the rest of the team to Ruby. Ruby removed her cup from the tray, and walked over to Yang. Yang took her cup, then sat on Blake's bed with her sister to watch the ensuing fireworks. Hopefully, this would be resolved peacefully.

The dorm door slammed shut, sealed by a glowing white glyph, bearing the Schnee crest. "BLAKE! HOW DARE YOU!" Weiss shouted. She reached over and grabbed the coffee cup labeled with her name. "And thank you for the coffee," she added sweetly. Weiss might have been envisioning the best way for vengeance, but proper etiquette was still a requirement.

"What did I do?" Blake questioned, as she took a sip of her tea. "Cute ears. Did I make cat ears fashionable?"

Weiss dragged Blake over to her bed, pushing the faunus onto the bed. She leaned over Blake, placing her hands on either side, effectively pinning Blake in place. "You used that pen to turn me into a faunus," Weiss hissed, venom dripping from her voice. Blake flinched at the tone. Weiss yelling was an everyday occurrence. She was pretty sure Weiss yelled to show affection. But this was infinitely more terrifying.

Ruby and Yang cautiously walked over to the bed ready to intercede, if necessary. "Weiss, that's enough. Let her up, we can reverse the change." Ruby's voice squeaked, but carried an edge of command. Weiss shot the two sisters a glare. To meet her gaze was to stare into the black heart of winter itself. Hope and joy withered before her wrath. Even the sun dragon herself was forced to flee before Weiss. Yang would swear for years to come she saw ice crystals creep up the windows. Yet a singular rose stood defiant against her fury. "Please, Weiss, for me," the last rose of summer pleaded. For a heartbeat, Ruby thought she had won through. She had seen the ice crack. Alas, winter did not release its prey that easily.

Blake gulped, staring into the avatar of wrath leaning over her. Weiss's eyes felt like they were burrowing into the depths of Blake's soul. A single mistake would doom her. "I… Yes, I did. You were so desperate for a chance to be you. I wanted to offer you that chance. I knew you would never use your gift so selfishly." She hoped Weiss would buy that excuse. Weiss could be won over by logic, assuming rage hadn't taken command yet. Seeing no immediate reaction to her excuse, Blake began to formulate a plan to escape from Weiss's grip. The door was out of the question, at least as long as Weiss was conscious. Could she act before Weiss could use that blasted gravity glyph?

"Is the writing safe?" Weiss questioned. Blake nodded, cautiously optimistic. In the blink of an eye, winter gave way to spring. Weiss reached out a hand and helped Blake to her feet. "Fine, I forgive you. But only because it's a valuable learning experience. If you ever try something like this again…" Weiss's words faded, the threat chilling the air.

"YAY! We're all still friends!" Ruby shouted, jumping into the air. "So now what?" She looked to each of teammates in turn. It was the first day of summer and she wanted to do something.

"We could go into Vale. We haven't done that together since the breach. Last night doesn't count," Yang suggested. She chuckled silently to herself. The new pet store should be opened by now. Blake might have out pranked her this time, but now two would fall before her. Yang paused for a moment. Perhaps it would be best to leave Weiss alone for the time being. Yang has stood defiant against monsters with little more than a pair of gauntlets, but even the Grimm would have given pause before the glare Weiss had delivered.

"As lovely as that sounds, I can't go," said Weiss, gesturing towards her ears. She was an internationally recognized figure. There was no way she could walk down the streets of a kingdom without being noticed.

"I could fix that. I have some experience in disguises," Blake offered. Her work with the White Fang required her to become proficient at hiding in plain sight. Humans tended to see what they wanted to see. "If you wore your hair down, covered up that scar with makeup and wore something different, you should be able to blend in just fine."

 **A/N: First off, my apologies for the sudden ending of the chapter. Today's episode has completely distracted me from editing it, so I'll add it to the start of next chapter. I will be ignoring the rest of volume 3's canon for the purposes of this story. The mood wouldn't fit with this story. Thank you so much for everyone who has reviewed, favorited and followed the story. You have helped me out so much. With the holidays around the corner, I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, but I want to get it out as soon as I can. The next two chapters will be so much fun. Although the ads I'm getting on google is starting to get weird. No, I don't want a drugged cat with split personalities. Where would you get such a crazy idea? I will tease the next two chapter titles, though: Chapter 5 is called A Purrfect Day and chapter 6 is called Cat-astrophe! I probably shouldn't brainstorm titles after writing Yang's lines.**


	5. A Purrfect Day

**A/N: Hello, everyone! I wanted to address the anonymous review first. For Sun to lose his shirt, wouldn't he have to wear one in first place? :P All joking aside, thank you for the suggestion. Since I intend to introduce more people to the pen (Spoilers!), I'll add it to the list of ideas. As for Ruby messing with Weiss's personality, hasn't she suffered enough? No? Sweet, an excuse for a Weiss torture chapter (Not real torture, spare me the hate mail)! My knee jerk reaction to your personality suggestion was a definite no, but as I was writing this I thought of an amusing way I could use the idea. It might be a while before we get to it, but I'm definitely going to use it. If anyone else has a suggestion for a use of the pen or even just a scene you want to see, feel free to either leave a review or send a message! I'm always looking for more ideas. Just remember the rating. Sorry Blake, you can't use the pen to recreate the Ninjas of Love. As for shipping, as of right now I have none planned. However, stories tend to go their own way, so who knows? Warning, I might have run a bit wild with this chapter.**

"Yyaaaaannnngggggg! I wanna stay! What they get into another fight? They could get hurt and as Team Leader, it's my responsibility to protect them." Ruby had managed to wrap her arms and legs around the doorknob, hanging on for dear life. Despite her sister's best effort, there was no way to pull her free from the door without breaking it.

"Come on, Ruby. The sooner we get breakfast, the sooner we can return. If they're fighting, we'll spray them with water. They'll be fine." Yang sighed at Ruby's actions. Fine. Time to cheat. "Rubes, I heard they have strawberries this morning." The corridor suddenly filled with rose petals.

Ruby was waiting at the end of the corridor, jamming the call button for the elevator. "We're going miss the strawberries, Yang! Can't this thing move any faster!"

Yang chuckled to herself. Her younger sister was easy to handle if you knew the right strings to pull. By the time Yang reached the elevator, the lift had reached the floor. Ruby was already in the elevator, hopping in place, pressing the ground floor like a madwoman. "Rubes, remember to wait for me. We have to bring food back to the others." Ruby waited for the elevator to reach its destination in uncharacteristic stoicness. Yang walked from the elevator, following the flood of petals lining the floor. Ruby was fortunate that her petals only last for a few minutes. Otherwise, Glynda would be making her spend every night cleaning the academy. By the time Yang reached the cafeteria, Ruby was running away from the cafeteria. She was carrying two trays of food including a large bowl of sweetened strawberries.

"Let'sgoYang! Ihaveeverything!" The excitement of the morning and the prospect of strawberries had Ruby running on the walls. "The strawberries are all mine, my precious," she whispered.

Yang grabbed her cape, stopping her sister. The bowl wobbled for a brief perilous moment, but righted itself, much to her relief. The last time someone had spilled Ruby's strawberries, the Grimm population on Patch vanished. "Slow down. We have some time and no one is going to eat your strawberries." The huntress sisters walked back towards the elevators, much too slow for Ruby's preference. Yang had learned years ago her sister's cape could make a respectable leash, as long as you were careful.

Jaune was exiting the elevator, just as they reached the elevator. "Hi, Ruby! Hi, Yang!" Jaune greeted them. "I was hoping to catch you. I was wondering if your team wanted to hang out today? Pyrrha wanted to catch a movie in Vale and I thought it'd be fun to do it as a group."

"Oh, hi Jaune," Ruby started. "We'd love to, but umm-"

"Blake's, uhh, cousin is in town today and we were going to show her around Vale. We'll hang next time, though," Yang finished the thought, walking onto the open elevator. "You could take just Pyrrha to the movie. You know, as friends," she shouted out the closing doors. Captain Oblivious would catch on.

"Yang, do you ever wish there was more of you? Like duplicates so we could spend with Team JNPR and Blake and Weiss," Ruby questioned her sister. The notion of disappointing one of her friends weighed on her mind. Jaune had sounded so eager for the company. Instead, he'll have to watch it with his partner.

"Ruby, if there were more of you running around, I think we might die from cuteness overload." Yang burst into laughter thinking about Weiss's reaction to more Rubies running around. The heiress would be in the mental ward after one week. Ruby looked ahead, lost in her thoughts.

The two sisters returned to the dorm, ready to eat and start the day. Ruby slammed the door open, somehow managing to not drop any food, then stopped. Curious, Yang hurried to see what had caught Ruby's attention. Within the room, Blake was finishing up the disguise for Weiss. Blake had made a pair of Mistralian Braids running down the sides of her head. She parted them right in front of the cat ears, drawing attention from the face. The two braids were woven together at the back. Her hair was dyed a cascade of white snow, hints of ebony and rays of sunshine offering a hint of contrast. Her adorable ears were on full display. Blake had applied a bit of light pink blush to her cheekbones, nose and chin. She wore a touch of purple eyeliner. Gone were Weiss's typical white combat skirt. In its place, she wore a loose fitting sapphire blue blouse and black slacks. Around her neck was a silver necklace with a small silver rapier amulet on it. The disguise drew attention to the natural curves of Weiss's face, away from the eyes.

"Wow, you look amazing," Yang muttered while pushing her sister into the room. She closed the door and placed the food on the table.

"Thank you. Despite the morning, I can still look respectable," Weiss said, glaring at Blake. Blake handed her a mirror, so she could see the finished product.

"Are you sure you're alright with this? We can fix it in a moment," Blake asked, trying to catch Weiss's eyes for the first time since this morning.

"I'm fine Blake. I just need some time."

"Are you sure? Because you still have the 'I'm going to kill someone' look," Ruby intervened. It was a look she had become familiar with, having mastered the art of pestering Weiss. She never intended to annoy her, but Ruby had a gift.

"Gah! Will you just let it go? You changed me without permission! Yes, I'm upset. How would you feel if I changed you into a human?" Weiss snarled at her fellow faunus.

"I… I'm sorry, Weiss," Blake whispered, audible only to the two faunus. Seeing Ruby between her and the door, she took a step towards the only escape route, the window, only to be thwarted by a glyph.

"But, you thought you were doing me a favor. Just talk to us before you do something like this again," Weiss sighed. "We're a team. We should be able to trust each other. But you need to learn your lesson. Ruby, will your father need a place for Zwei to stay? I think we might have room in the dorm for such a cute little fur ball," Weiss said, a sly smile creeping across her face. Blake blanched at the thought of the dog staying in their room.

"Umm, will you two be alright?" Ruby hesitantly asked, all thoughts about the strawberries fleeing before her friends' trouble.

Weiss looked at Blake, then back to her partner. "We'll be fine. People make mistakes all the time. As long as we learn from them, we'll be fine." Weiss broke into an honest smile. "You taught me that, Ruby. Besides, I wanted a vacation. So, thank you, Blake. But we can't use that cursed pen again. If it can change my race, what can't it do?"

"We could put limits on it. No changes without both parties' permission," the leader of Team Ruby suggested.

"We'll talk about it later," her partner responded. If Weiss had her way, that pen would be locked away for good.

Ruby, Blake and Yang descended on the food, a ravenous plague of locusts. Weiss selected a more modest breakfast and ate with grace enough to make a feline blush. Ruby regarded the new faunus with a thoughtful gaze. "Weiss, what are we going to call you? We can't use your name."

She paused for a moment. "Ceinwen Eira, I think. It's a translation of my name, but it is a common name."

"You invented that name rather quickly, kitty cat. Any particular reason why?" Yang asked. Weiss just glared at the brawler, begging her to press the point. After this morning, she chose to let sleeping cats lie. "Fine, keep your secrets."

Blake walked over to her bookshelf and rearranged them a bit. She returned, holding a piece of Weiss's diary with fuchsia colored ink. "Weiss, I want you to have this. It's the paper that controls your transformation. If you want to change back now, you can." The paper read, 'Weiss Schnee should feel our pain.'

"Feel our pain? Blake, is there something you want to tell us?" Blake was always ready to help the team, but she struggled to let others into her heart. Blake shook her head, then returned to her breakfast. Once breakfast was devoured, the team left the dorm. Ruby darted back into the room, returning with a pair of silver framed sunglasses.

She handed to glasses to Weiss telling her, "These are photosynthesis lenses, completely fake. They change color outside so you can hide your pretty eyes."

"Photosynthesis? Like the plants? I think you mean photochromic. Thank you, Ruby." Weiss offered her partner a rare hug. The warmth of another person felt so good.

The team reached Vale just as the sun was reaching its zenith. Summer in Vale was breathtaking, clear blue skies with nary a cloud, crisp clear water. The summer heat had driven everyone into the various shops and stores. A gentle sea breeze was just enough to make it bearable. The scent of fresh fish wafted through parts of the city, not that the two feline faunus minded too much. "So, we're here. What do we want to do?" Ruby looked at each her teammates in turn.

"Well, I wanted to get some new books."

"If we intend to have Zwei for a while, we'll need some food." At the mention of Evil Incarnate, Blake slipped behind Yang.

"I could use some more ammo for my sweetheart. Oooo, and we'll need a weapon for We - err, Ceinwen, since she can't use her usual weapon." Ruby's mind started racing at the possibilities. Claws? No, that might be considered a hate crime in light of recent events. Weiss would certainly see it as one. A flaming sword? A gun? A flaming gun that shoots swords? At last, she could get her partner to upgrade from a rapier. A sword that wasn't a gun? The brilliant revolving dust dispenser was the only form of innovation. Ruby sighed at the thought. The classics were cool, but weapons have souls too. They should be allowed to show off a bit. A little creativity never hurt anyone. Except for Crescent Rose's flamethrower, but Forever Fall would grow back, right?

"Fine. We get some books, get food for the most adorable creature in the world, then stop by the weapon shop. Then we drag Ruby away, kicking and screaming, and get lunch."

Ruby pouted at Weiss. "Ceinwen, stop being so, umm Weiss cold. Weapons are cool and you know it. What kind of weapon do you want?"

"A rapier. Like the one I intend to continue using." She made a point to ignore the atrocious pun. If she started to ignore them, maybe the sisters would just stop. That was as likely as Weiss adopting a baby Beowulf as a pet, but it was worth a chance. They do enjoy their attention, after all.

"A rapier with a gun for a hilt?"

"A rapier. Not every weapon needs a gun. And I don't need another weapon. My situation, if you will, isn't permanent."

"What about a rapier with a grappling hook like Blake?" Weiss glared at Ruby in response. "Got it. Just a boring rapier."

"Boring? A rapier is a classic weapon. It requires both grace and elegance to use one. A gun or one of your attachments would throw the balance off."

Argent eyes brightened. "If you're concerned about balance, I could-"

The much-maligned heiress pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, Ruby. Just no."

"We could go to _A Novel Experience_ . It's next door to _Dogs Days of Summer_ so you could get the monster's food while I shop for books," Blake suggested.

"Ugh, must everyone make terrible puns?"

Yang lifted her nose and said, "You just have no appreciation for the finer things in life."

"Puns are not one of the finer things. Puns are an abomination, unfit for Grimm. Especially yours."

The journey to the terribly named bookstore continued in this manner for the better part of an hour. It was blessed with a waterside property, along the edge of the industrial and commercial district. The lighthearted banter fell into a comfortable silence, allowing Weiss a chance to reflect. It still amazed her that a team of misfits and pranksters had ever managed to worm their way into her heart.

"Yang, could you get Zwei's food? We can get the books for Blake, then get lunch," Ruby asked her sister.

"You mean, so we can go to the weapon store sooner," Yang replied. "I'll take care of it, don't worry about it. Just make sure our kittens aren't late for lunch."

"HEY!" Both cat faunus shouted at Yang. The blonde boxer just waved at the trio over her shoulder as she walked into the pet shop.

The Dog Days of Summer was a medium sized pet store, almost indistinguishable from any other similar store, save the pet rescue facility in the back. It was one of only two such facilities in the kingdom, specializing in cat adoptions. Upon entering, a bored teenager greeted her. "Good morning and welcome to the Dog Days of Summer." The young man brightened as soon as he laid eyes on the golden beauty. "How can I help you?" The man finished, a lecherous grin on his face. She supposed he was trying to be charming, but he just managed to be creepy.

"Hello. I'm looking for dog food. Any chance you have a sale on?"

"Yes, ma'am! Aisle four, a third of the way down." Yang sprinted down the aisle and picked up enough food to last Zwei a week. She returned to the register to pay. "Miss, we have a special. If pretty girls give me their number, they can get a free sample of our new catnip."

A satisfying click of a gauntlet shotgun extending echoed throughout the shop. "My number? Well, Ember Cecila would have to approve of anyone I could date. Wanna find out?" She had no patience for objectification.

"Umm did I say number? I meant with the purchase of an item." He rang her in order with the speed of man fearing for his life. A moment later, she walked out of the pet shop with a bag of dog food and a little sample of catnip.

She was greeted by a puzzling sight. Her sister had wrapped herself in her cloak so completely only her sunburned face was visible. The snow cat faunus was just as red and was sputtering at a smug Blake. "You read that smut? Oh, dear Oum, is that what you've been reading the entire time?" Yang enveloped her sister in a bear hug.

"Kitten, what did you do to my dear sister?"

"All I did was let them read a chapter from my new book, _The Bawdy Bard_."

"Oh. Is it one of your hidden books?" The bookworm nodded in agreement.

"You knew! All this time, you knew what she was reading. Oh no, was that book from earlier one of those?"

"Your majesty, not all are precious innocent snowflakes. Ruby, are you alright?"

"What was she doing with Professor Goodwitch's weapon?" The youngest member of Team RWBY shook her head, desperate to shake an image. "Nevermind, let's just eat and forget this ever happened."

"I, for one, think that is an excellent idea. I know exactly where we should eat."

Weiss dragged her team to a high-class restaurant called _Les Poisson de Chat._ It was a small Mistralian five star restaurant, nestled into the border between the upper-class district and the commercial district. As such, the restaurant was a bit of a diamond in the rough. It had garnered a reputation for a bit more private dining experience. After a brief conversation with the hostess, the huntresses claimed a table in the corner farthest from the entrance, partially obscured by a low wall. A waitress left them menus and took their drink orders. Before she could leave, Weiss said, "Miss, could you make sure there is no fish in any of our orders today? I'm allergic and even the scent can trigger it." She reassured Weiss and left to get their drink orders fulfilled.

Blake shot Weiss a hurt look. "You aren't allergic to fish." She glanced down at the menu. "You did this intentionally, didn't you? They have freshly caught tuna, too. How could you?" Blake could smell them, like mana from the heavens. She could even hear the sizzle of the fish. It was tantamount to torture.

"Oh, did I not mention? I'm allergic to losing choice. It's terrible, I break out in flashes of domination and pettiness." The young heiress shot her teammate a smug smile in victory.

Yang coughed, sounding like "cat fight", drawing the ire of both cat faunus. "What? I didn't say anything. Ow, Ruby! Don't kick me."

"Ladies, please tell me you learned enough manners to not embarrass. I enjoy the food here, and I would appreciate it if you would not get us thrown out."

The waitress soon returned with a gentleman in a black suit, wearing an apologetic smile. The man, speaking with a Mistralian accent said, "Ladies, I must apologize, but the kitchen is closing for the day. I must ask you to leave."

Blake gave a sad, knowing smile and started to stand when Weiss reached out to stop her. "There are dozens of patrons here. There is no way you are closing the restaurant mid-day."

"I'm sorry ma'am, but we do not serve animals. Leave before I have to contact the police."

"Animals? I may have cat ears, but I am not some filthy animal! I am a person with rights. I will -"

"Ceinwen, it isn't worth it. We'll find somewhere else." The team left the restaurant without further incident. She walked with the grace of a queen, but every muscle was rigid in rage. The patrons could feel something terrible was coming, all save one. One woman, hair as white as snow, glanced at the retreating team and smirked as if this was an amusing bard's tale.

"Well, that was a thing."

"Not now, Yang. Let's just return to Beacon. I'll cook something for us." Weiss's melodic voice fell flat, crushed by the humiliation.

"You can cook?" Her excitable partner bounced in front of the team. "Ohcanwehavecookies?"

"I'll have you know I am an excellent cook."

"Then why haven't you cooked anything before?"

"You... I... Silence."

"Kitty got claws!"

"Dammit, Yang. Enough with your Grimm forsaken puns."

 **A/N: Since France wouldn't exist in this world, I'm substituting Mistral for France, so Mistral braid is just a French braid.**

 **Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I'll see you next time with** _ **Cat-astrophe**_ **!**


	6. Cat-astrophe

The disgruntled team returned to their room, somehow managing to dodge everyone in the school. The blonde boxer put Zwei's food and the little pack of catnip in the kitchen. She leaned against the door, watching her teammates pursuing their own means of relaxation. Blake dove into her new book, retreating from the world. Ruby was listening to music while cleaning Crescent Rose on her bed. The scent of her weapon cleaner permeated the entire room while she took the beloved scythe apart with practiced ease. Weiss was bent over the small table in the bedroom writing something. Every couple of sentences, she would tear the paper into confetti and start again.

"Weissy, are you alright? I realize you have a problem with trees, but I think we'd leaf a few for later." Taunting Weiss was probably not her wisest idea, but the heiress was a bit like Zwei with a bone. If no one took it away from her, she would stew over whatever was in her head forever.

She looked away from her journal at the sound of Yang's voice. "No one leave, I'm going to make us lunch." The ritualistic act of cooking would calm her nerves while still allowing her to be productive.

Without looking up from her book, Blake asked, "What do you intend to make?"

"Cookies?" Ruby leaped from her bed onto Weiss, only to be caught by a glyph hastily thrown together. This had turned into a nearly daily occurrence, much to Ruby's disgust. Weiss had gotten quite good at throwing together protective glyphs with no notice.

"I have something special planned. And no, Ruby, we aren't having cookies for lunch." Before all of this chaos descended on her, she had planned on celebrating the end of the term by making grilled tuna over a homemade chickpea salad. She had hidden freshly caught tuna in the back of the fridge, safe from Blake's curiosity. Considering Blake hadn't produced any questionable excuses to avoid the team, she hadn't found the fish.

The preparation for the lunch took just under a half an hour. Weiss had finished plating the homemade meal, ready to be served to her team. "Now, where did Yang put the chive and oregano," she muttered to herself. A cursory glance failed to reveal the herbs in question, but she did find a small herb pouch, hidden in the back of one of the cabinets. The pouch lacked a label, but looked like some sort of herb. Perhaps it serve as an acceptable substitute. She opened the pouch and sniffed it. Whatever was in the pouch was positively divine. The minty aroma was perhaps a bit stronger than she would have preferred to be paired with Tuna, but it was too good to just waste away in a pouch. It might even make an acceptable perfume. She would have to find out what it was at a later time. Weiss sprinkled the mint liberally over the carefully prepared food and called the team into the kitchen for lunch.

Ruby burst through the door first, eager to taste her partner's cooking for the first time. "Is this tuna? You can have tuna without having a sandwich?" Yang chuckled at Ruby's eagerness as she entered the room.

Blake's ears twitched in the next room. Tuna? Did she hear tuna? This had to be some new, cruel joke. Weiss would not cook her tuna after everything that had happened today, would she? She cautiously entered the kitchen, when she caught the scent of the nirvana. She could also pick up a wonderful minty scent, but who cares? There was tuna to eat.

"I wanted to do something special to celebrate the end of the term. This is freshly caught tuna, grilled to perfection, served with homemade chickpea salad. Bon appetit!" Weiss joined her teammates after her impromptu speech. The mysterious mint complemented the perfectly grilled fish. The world seemed to grow brighter the longer she ate. Even the smell of the mint made everything so much better. She was convinced someone had to make a perfume from this mint. Perhaps she would make the attempt.

Blake eagerly devoured her tuna, though the mint still lingered on her mind. "Weiss, what is the herb you used with the tuna? It tastes familiar, but I can't quite recall what it is."

"I don't know. It was a small pack of herbs I found in the kitchen. We ran out of chive and oregano, so I improvised. It's the perfect seasoning for the tuna, if I don't say so myself."

Yang started to choke on her chickpea salad. "You found a small package in the kitchen? So, umm, I may know what the herb is. Weiss, take a deep breath. Think of something relaxing, like a school of sharks swimming. Why you would find that relaxing is beyond me, but-"

"Yang, sweetie, please tell us."

"It might be the pouch of catnip I was given today," Yang sheepishly finished.

"You… I… Blake, what do we do?" Weiss looked over at her fellow faunus. Blake was completing her impression of her pale teammate, pinching the brow of her nose.

"The good news is we have a few more minutes before the catnip kicks in. Someone lock the door, we'll have to weather the catnip in the room. Yang, do us a favor and don't take any pictures. Weiss, just as a warning, you might be driven to act a bit more… animalistic when the catnip kicks in. It's perfectly-"

The shriek of the heiress's scroll interrupted whatever assurances Blake was offering her. She hurried to check the scroll, only to discover her sister was calling. "Winter! I'm so happy to hear from you! How have you been?"

"Splendid. I am actually in Vale today. You would not believe what I saw today at lunch. A young faunus girl was removed from a small restaurant. You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? Winter's tone left no doubt as to the meaning of the question.

"I am sure that occurs often enough. I do not see how I could know anything more than that," Weiss responded hesitantly. Somehow, Winter knew what happened today.

"Very well. I would like the opportunity to meet your team. Shall I meet you in Beacon?"

"Today? I have tests and classes to study for today. Maybe we can spend tomorrow in Vale?"

"I will be at Beacon in five minutes, sister. I will see you." Winter disconnected from the call.

"Dust, where did I leave that paper?" Weiss began tearing apart her desk, desperate to find her key to normalcy. She couldn't let Winter see her like this. How would she react?

Ruby stuck her head into the bedroom. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh, everything's fine. I've just managed to drug myself, drug a teammate, and discovered my sister is on her way here. And now I can't find where I put that dust-blasted paper!"

"Oh." Ruby gave Weiss a tight bear hug, one even Yang would be proud of. "Everything will work out just fine. As long as we handle it together, there's nothing we can't do. Ice flower forever!"

The heiress resisted the hug at first, not wanting to waste time. But she surely she could spare a minute to hug her caring team mate. Maybe she just needed something to distract her in order to remember where she left the thrice-cursed paper. Her life had changed so much since she had meet her team. The lonely little heiress was no more. In her place was a strong independant huntresses who really needed a good hug from her partner. She could feel a rumbling in her chest as she thought of them. They were her's, and nothing, not even Winter or her father would take them away.

Ruby giggled at the sound of Weiss's purr, but fell into silent shock as she began to rub her cheek against Ruby's own cheek. The cat faunus was muttering "Mine. Mine," under her breath, purring all the while. Dealing with people was not one of her strengths, but Ruby was fairly sure her father never mentioned what to do if a person was rubbing their cheek against you. She did know animals and Blake did say they would start acting a bit more animalistic. Ruby began to rub underneath Weiss's chin, just like she would when Zwei acted this way. The purring grew even louder and the faunus's eyes rolled into the back of her head.

"Ruby! The catnip kicked in!" Yang came bursting in through the door to the kitchen carrying a sleepy Blake trying to nuzzle her collarbone. "Uh, Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Nothing! I gave her a hug, then she started doing this! What do I do?" Ruby had managed to carefully remove her hands from Weiss and was flapping them around in a bird impression. Her partner cuddled a bit closer, then gazed around the room, as confident as a queen on her throne.

"Yang in there, Rubes. I'll put Blake in her bed, then I'll get the Ice Queen."

Weiss hissed at the boxer and the sleeping faunus. There was someone claiming her people. She pounced at the usurper who dared to challenge her rightful place, pulling the challenger from her spot in the arms of the golden throne and took it for herself. "Mine," she purred, rubbing her cheek against the personal heater. This was an even better spot. The warmth radiating from the young woman felt perfect against the queen of Team RWBY.

Blake's eyes snapped open, a bit confused as to why she woke. The world was so warm and safe, golden light teased her nose. Life was perfect just a moment ago. With a start, she remembered a calico faunus ripping her away from her spot. How dare she? That was the best place in the entire room. Her ears flattened as she hissed at the interloper, an interloper who was now claiming her partner. The young upstart had no right to claim her. Blake was here first. She deserved the love and attention.

"Yang, where did she put the paper? I can't remember where she put it." Freed from the grasp of her partner, Ruby picked up where Weiss had left off, hunting for the paper.

"A bit busy, right now. Weiss and Blake look like they might be getting into a cat fight." Yang turned to face Ruby, the fencer hanging from her neck. "What's the rush? The kittens are adorable, assuming they don't kill each other."

"Winter is coming. She called Weiss and told her she was coming to Beacon now. We can't let her see Weiss like this." Blake leaped on top of Weiss, pulling her away from Yang. The two cats grappled on the floor for a brief minute before snuggling together within arms reach of the greatest cat toy in the history of Remnant: Yang's hair. Weiss nipped at Blake's bow, unexpectedly tearing it off. Yet her fellow faunus paid it no mind. There was a golden ray of sunlight made manifest inches away from her face. She could actually touch the silky mane without disturbing the other faunus. It even moved when she batted it away. After years of trying, Blake had finally managed to touch the sun.

"Winter? As in her big sister? The person Weiss spent most of the tournament with last year? I think she might have put it in her pocket. Grab her majesty. We'll check her pockets."

Ruby pulled her partner away from Blake, pushing her onto the bed. Ruby began the process of searching the squirming faunus's pockets for the paper. Weiss was making the hunt more difficult by continuously attempting to pull Ruby down for a cuddle, her constant purring a siren's song. A sudden knocking at the door rang throughout the dorm. "Yang, that's her! Weneedtofindit!" The heiress squirmed free from her partner and opened the door for her sister.

The door to the dorm swung open, revealing Winter. She gazed into her sister's room, seeing her sister standing at the door. Her sapphire eyes were dilated, slightly glazed over, a pair of white cat ears poking free from her ebony, blonde, and snow hair. Seconds later, a calico faunus was in her arms, nuzzling into her shoulders. "For the love of dust, what did you do to my sister? Did you three get her on drugs?"

Ruby sprang from the bed. "You, ummm, grace us with your ahh presence." She offered a curtsey, just as Weiss had taught her.

"Ruby was it? Save the pleasantries. Tell me what happened here."

"Shedidittoherself! Wehadnothingtodoit! ExceptforBlakewhodidthechangebutshedruggedherself!" In an impressive display of lungs, she managed to hurriedly exclaim in a single breath.

Winter looked at Ruby, dumbfoundedly. "What did you say?"

Weiss pulled back from her sister, clutching her head. "Ungh... Remind me never to do that again. Winter! What are you doing here?" She tried to subtly tried to rearrange her hair to hide the ears, failing miserably. Blake's braids were crafted too well.

"I had thought my sister had decided to play some childish game involving faunus ears. Were you planning to attend the faunus rights rally today?" She attempted to pull Weiss's cat ears off her head. Her sister winced in pain, causing her to stop. "These aren't coming off. Weiss, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! I woke up with faunus traits this morning. We went into town to celebrate the end of the semester. But, we got removed from a restaurant so we returned here, so I could cook lunch. I didn't do anything to endanger our family name."

"Oh dear sister, I don't care about that. Are you alright? Does it hurt? So how did this happen? Dust explosion?"

"I'm fine, Winter. They don't hurt at all. In fact, they kinda feel like they belong, but that might be a side effect. As for the catalyst of the change, well, someone gave me a pen that can change things to suit our will. Blake used it on me."

"A pen? Are you serious?" Winter stared into Weiss's eyes for a moment. No matter what else changed, the eyes remained the windows to her soul. "You really are serious. You can turn someone into a faunus with a pen. What else can it do?"

A/N: This was the chapter we likely all assumed was coming when Weiss was turned into a cat faunus. For the record, catnip doesn't have a delayed reaction on cats. I chose to give it a delayed reaction on faunus thanks to Rule of Funny. Catnip typically induces a variety of reactions including sleeping, aggression, and hyper affection. In order to get a more realistic scene, I actually gave my two cats catnip. For the record, that was exactly how they behave on catnip.

So why did Weiss start acting a bit out of character before the catnip started affecting her? Catnip actually affects cats via scent, not taste. Thus, the moment she smelled the catnip, she was affected by the drug. I was trying to pull off a bit of subtle transition to full drugged scenes. Hopefully it worked as well on paper as it did in my head.

This week, we have two guest reviews to address. I'm rather pleased to hear guest reviewer #1 is enjoying my portrayal of Ruby. I am absolutely paranoid every chapter that I'll butcher the tone of the characters. I actually ship white rose, so I'm trying to write their scenes with as little romantic overtones as I can while still keeping the bickering at the core of their relationship, hence the old married couple feel. I might have overdone it a bit this chapter, but we shall see. Thanks for the review!

As for guest #2, thanks for the review! I actually started this story as Weiss being forced to attend anger management classes. She would have been given magic ink rather than a magic pen. She would then write everything that bothered her down in a journal, thus changing the others. I changed it because I wanted to allow the others some fun. Besides, Weiss would have just turned everyone into clones of her. Also, ink runs out. If the magic is from the pen, they can just get a new ink bottle. The pen in Once Upon a Time did inspire the magical delivery system, if you will. However, that pen changes reality around it, or at least I think it does. I'm really far behind on the show. This particular pen hasn't demonstrated that level of power yet, mainly because I like seeing how others react to the changes. My actual inspiration for the story was fan art of Weiss as a cat faunus. As soon as I find out the artist, I'll credit them with it. I wanted to write a story about her being a faunus, but felt too lazy to make a new AU. Besides, there are far better faunus fanfiction out there. I haven't seen anything in this vein yet. I had also considered a genie version, but the tone felt darker than I wanted. I seem to write really dark genies. **TL;DR version: The concept was made independently, the delivery system was inspired by the show.**

I would normally be teasing the next chapter, but I'm currently waffling a bit. Tentatively, it will be _A Split Decision,_ starring our favorite reaper. As per usual, suggestions are appreciated. The next couple chapters will likely be Ruby focused, since I have gotten a few suggestions for her. Happy New Year's everyone, and I will see you next year!


	7. A Split Decision

"So, umm, Winter, what are you doing in town? Shouldn't you be in Atlas?" Ruby asked her partner's sister. The pen was cool and fun, but did she know Winter well enough to justify telling her about it?

"Ruby! Don't be rude. We should be honored my sister choose to visit us. She's a very busy woman," Weiss admonished her partner.

"That's classified." Winter moved to sit in the empty chair at the desk. Her sapphire eyes danced across the room, noticing two additional team members on the lower bunk on the far side of the room. A blonde woman was sitting on the bed with a raven black haired faunus lying across her lap. The torn remnant of a bow was hanging off the one ear, the other ear was open to the world to see. "And who are you?"

"I'm Yang, and the person sleeping is Blake. So please keep it down."

Blake began to stir, stretching across Yang's lap. "Did I miss anything? And who is the woman at Weiss's desk?" She could feel the air on her ears, revealing her secret to this strange woman.

The white haired beauty greeted her, "Winter Schnee, Atlassian Specialist. Are you the one responsible for my sister's change?"

Blake jolted upright, staring into the strange woman's eyes. She couldn't see anything in the cold, hard eyes of Weiss's sister. Was she in trouble? "I used the pen. But I would like you to know she has had the power to change back at any time since we left for Vale."

"Blake, was it? I'm not mad. She is her own woman. If she wants to play as a faunus, that is her own right. She is my sister, no matter what else changes."

Blake's eyes widened a touch in shock. Schnees are infamous for being in control at all times. She had managed to squeeze enough out of Weiss to have a decent idea of what growing up in the Schnee family was like. The idea that Winter was willing to support Weiss's decision was surprising, to say the least. She couldn't remember much from the White Fang's file on Winter, save a general do not engage order. Weiss was always considered the more important target and drawing the attention of the Atlas military was too much of a threat. Was she sympathetic to faunus rights? Velvet had told her there was a faunus rally in Vale this week. Was this why she was here? Only one way to find out. "Are you in Vale to provide protection for the faunus rights rally?"

Winter reeled back in shock. Her mission was classified. Only Ozpin and Ironwood knew she was in town to provide protection for the rally. It was her idea to return to Vale without the Atlassian military's support to protect the faunus rally. She was worried the White Fang might attempt another recruitment effort. If she openly defended the rally, her name would almost guarantee some would flee into the White Fang's open arms. If this girl could guess her mission, was it already compromised? "Faunus rights rally? Is there one in Vale today? Is that why you changed my sister?"

"Blake, is there one in town? You could have told us. It would have made an interesting event to attend." Weiss sat on her bed, only to be joined immediately by her partner. "Ruby, please don't play with the ears." Ruby pouted for a moment, inspiring a chuckle from Winter.

"Ruby, how long have you been going out with my sister?" Winter was fascinated to see precisely how crimson the two of them managed to become. It might have been a trick of the light, but even Weiss's ears were tinged pink.

"WINTER! We are not dating! I have a boyfriend in Mistral. We've been dating for over a year now," Weiss concluded, as proud as a peacock. "What would make you think I was dating Ruby?" Ruby was left sputtered her denials, unable to form actual words.

"Have you? It's a shame your boyfriend couldn't have been introduced to me at the Vytal Festival. I would have enjoyed meeting him." Winter failed to hide her smirk as she looked at her sister. Weiss needed to be reminded she was human sometimes. "You seem to know your partner's tendencies so well. It would appear you spend extensive time together."

"He was busy fighting in the tournament. Ruby and I are just good friends." Her sister lifted a single eyebrow at the comment. Weiss flushed anew, then accusingly added, "You're trying to change the subject. Are you here for the rally?"

"Classified. And I believe your partner changed the subject first. When do you intend to tell me about this magical pen?"

"There is nothing else to talk about. We already told you everything we know. If we write something, it becomes true," Yang replied.

"Is that it? If you never test the limits of your gifts, you will never truly grow. This pen of yours is no different. If you settle what is safe, then how will you know what it can do when you need it the most? Test it. You are capable of restoring any changes, are you not?"

Weiss growled at her sister, "We already used the pen to change my race. It can change anything we want, and you want us to experiment with it? Are you crazy?"

"Weiss, there are dangers in this world you are not prepared to fight. It would destroy me if anything were to happen to you. That pen of yours may have the power to ensure your safety." Winter took her sister's hand into her own. "I would risk anything to ensure you have a life of your choice. Try it on something small, if it concerns you."

With a painful sigh, Weiss reached into her desk drawer to remove the quill that started all of this. "What do you want to do?" Yang swiped the pen from her hand and started writing on a scrap of paper Blake had been using as a bookmark.

With a flourish, she finished writing, triggering the change. Winter began to emit a fuschia colored aura throughout her body, squelching Winter's brilliant white aura. Unchallenged, the aura retracted to Winter's hair, turning it to raven black. Shuddering, she muttered, "That was cold. It felt like I was plunged into the icy waters of Atlas in the depths of winter." Regaining her poise, she asked, "What did you do?"

"I changed your hair black. It's simple enough to restore if something went wrong."

Smirking, Blake asked, "Does that mean we can use the pen to play with your hair?"

"Not on your life, kitten."

Winter walked into the restrooms to see Yang's handy work. "It really did work. I wish to use the pen for my mission if it was agreeable with you."

Weiss frowned at the question. "You're one of the best specialists in Atlas! Why would you need to use it?"

"Sometimes, disguises can be liabilities. My mission is one such occurrence. Anything else is classified."

Blake's eyes sparkled with humor. "You are here for the rally. So what type of faunus are you going to become?"

Ruby jumped from Weiss's bed in excitement. "There is a rally! Can we go?"

The door to the room swung open as Jaune entered. "Umm, hi. Sorry, I didn't know you had company. Ruby gave me a key. I'm Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it. And who might you be?"

Weiss and Winter managed to eye roll simultaneously. "I'm Ceinwen Eira, and this is Winter Schnee. If you'll excuse us, we were in the middle of something," Weiss said.

"Oh, sorry. I just wanted to let you guys know we were going to catch a movie, and you were invited. Hey, where's Weiss?"

"She's busy," Weiss responded, dryly.

"At least, she's ok. Hopefully, we'll see you guys later." Jaune closed the door and left.

Winter chuckled at her sister's pseudonym. "Ceinwen? You chose to use your stage name?"

"Winter! No one knew that."

"Well, now they do. Yang, would you mind handing me the pen?" Yang handed the instrument to Winter. Winter grabbed a piece of paper and quickly recorded the words that would inspire the change. The fuschia aura once more rose over the specialist. This time, the aura coalesced on her back. A pair of massive raven black wings ripped through the back of her jacket and shirt. Her sapphire blue eyes darken to solid onyxes. Her body slimmed down, removing any unnecessary physical features.

"An avian faunus? You do realize they are incredibly rare, right? You'll stand out even in a crowd," Blake said while backing up. The last thing she needed right now was for her instincts to kick in. Winter might be a bird faunus, but she was still a fully trained specialist, now with the power of flight. She did not want to pick a fight.

Winter flushed. "I am aware of the demographics of the faunus races. I believe the advantages granted by my wings will suffice. If you'll excuse me, I must return to my suite to change. I thank you for your time."

"So soon? Can we see you at the rally?" Weiss waggled her ears. "I won't draw attention to you. At least more than what you've already done."

"Rally? What rally? My mission is classified," she said with the smile of someone beaten down by her sister and her team. Winter left the room, her jacket draped over shoulders.

Ruby watched her team preparing for another trip to Vale with a pensive gaze. While attending the rally would be interesting, and it would give her a chance to figure out how Winter's weapon worked, she hadn't spent any time with Jaune and his team lately. She goggled the pen lying on Weiss's desk where Winter had left it. "I'll clean the room up. You three can head down to the airship when you're ready. I'll meet you there."

"Thank you, Ruby. That's very kind of you. But we have some time before we can meet Winter. We can all clean the room up," Weiss said.

"Oh, well, I was thinking about testing the pen. Winter did tell us to test the limits of it," Ruby sheepishly replied.

"Go for it, sis. What are you planning on doing?"

"I kinda wanted to hang out with Jaune today, but I also want to go to the rally. I've never been to a rally and I think it could be fun. So I was thinking about making a duplicate so I can do both."

"Ruby, this rally is not going to like a story. It will be faunus shouting for rights, humans shouting back at us. There won't be a diabolic monster plotting to use angry people as weapons. There shouldn't be any fighting," Blake replied, looking up from her book.

"Blakey, didn't the White Fang do that exact thing last year?" Yang teasingly stage-whispered to Blake.

"Well, I'm going to do it." Ruby snatched the pen and scribbled the command to the pen. The aura rose around Ruby, glowing brighter than ever before. The aura pulled away from Ruby, holding her shape in glowing azure lights. The light faded, leaving behind a Ruby clad in her traditional hunting attire, only in black. Her hair was crimson red throughout, leaving none of her original brunette hair. The other Ruby was stripped of the black highlights in her attire, leaving her in all red. The red in her hair was gone.

"Ruby? Are you alright?" Yang asked, looking at both Rubies.

Both Rubies glanced at each other. "We're fine," the two Rubies responded simultaneously.

The Ruby in black continued, "It's a singular experience. It felt like my aura was cleaved in twain, then fabricated with pure energy."

The Ruby in red replied, "I thought it was fun. Can we do it again?"

A/N: I know Winter never shared banter on this scale with Weiss, but we need more big sister teasing! Yang can't carry that torch alone. I like the idea of Winter and Weiss trading banter back and forth. They couldn't have been proper at all times. Ravena Wolfborn, I hope the source of Weiss's cover name wasn't too boring. I have this image of Weiss performing under a stage name whenever she wanted to sing a song her father wouldn't approve.

We have another guest review! Thank you for the review! I'll be honest, when I wrote that chapter, I just wanted to tease every ship, a pattern that continues into this chapter!I can't believe I never thought about using the pen on Zwei. We are having an arc about that. It would be a crime to not do that.

I'm currently planning on a brief hiatus so I can take the time to figure out where to put everyone's suggestions in the story and to make sure I properly credit everyone who offered a suggestion. I doubt it will be longer than two weeks or so, or possibly even shorter. Thank you so much for reading this story! As usual, if you have a suggestion, let me know! In particular, I'm looking for more suggestions for Blake and Yang, but any will do.


	8. Follow the Rules

Blake had seen some incredible things between her time at Beacon and in the White Fang. In the last twenty-four hours alone, she had seen both Schnee sisters turned into faunus, the strict Glynda Goodwitch passing the entire class without a struggle, and even had her voice stolen for a brief time. Yet none of those events compare to the scene in front of her. Her team leader had managed to duplicate herself, thankfully color-coordinated for her convenience. Clearly, that man back in the shop didn't know his own product. It seemed to be able to create just fine. Maybe he meant the pen couldn't create something new. The two Rubies did seem different than normal, which bore further investigation. If her books have taught her anything, it was anytime someone was duplicated, one of them was an evil twin. The one in black should be the one she needed to separate from the rest of the team. If she was wrong, then she would get to spend time with someone with a respectable fashion sense. If the one in black was the evil twin, she would need to find the person responsible for that decision to have Weiss yell at them. Black was not evil.

Yang wrapped both of the duplicates in her arms. "I have two baby sisters now! This is so awesome!" The one in red eagerly embraced her sister, practically vibrating in excitement. She would, however, slip free from one of her sister's infamous bear hugs, to eagerly to embrace her other teammates. The one in black stiffened at the contact, but eased into the embrace. Once her red clone broke free, she oozed into the space vacated, not wanting to surrender anything.

The Ruby in red begged, "Can we go now? I wanna see the rally!" bouncing from corner to corner of the tiny dorm bedroom. Blake and Weiss glared at their rambunctious team leader, though for different reasons. Weiss was intrigued by the ramifications of the most recent change, yet her more cautious nature demanded she pay close attention to her partner. They knew next to nothing about the powers of the pen, other than the ability to alter one's very identity. Was this actually two copies of Ruby, or did she somehow get replaced by someone who looked exactly like her? The one in red certainly acted the part, but her duplicate seemed so much more mature and possessing a far superior vocabulary.

Blake was carefully watching the two copies for any proof of her suspicions over the top of her book. Regrettably, watching the two Rubies required her full attention; her book would have to wait. After carefully weighing her bookmark-less options, she folded over the smallest corner of the page she could manage. Yang would have to pay for taking her bookmark. "Ruby, it's been a long day. If you four want to go to the rally, feel free. I intend to continue to read my book."

The Ruby in black finally accepted the end of her hug when Yang decided to pull away. She had been hanging off the front of her sister for a moment before she let go. She cocked her head to the side, a bit like Zwei whenever Blake ordered him to stay off her stuff. "Do you not intend to support your fellow faunus?"

"Rubes, why are you talking like that? Did Weiss infect with you?" Yang asked, the corners of her mouth tugging upwards at the antics of her crimson-clad sister. She had managed to wrap Weiss up in her cape and was now carrying the heiress around the room like a baby in swaddling clothes.

"Ruby, let me go! I am not a child to be carried around. Yang, don't discourage her. It's about time she acted like an adult. It's a pity this one couldn't act more like her," Weiss scolded her. She finally slipped away from the Ruby in red's grasp, trapping her in a gravity glyph. The glyph would not last long, but it would give her a chance to get some distance between her and the demon in red.

Blake's eyes narrowed at the Ruby in black. The real Ruby would never question her actions like this. The person wearing a black version of her leader's clothes was apparently the evil twin. "I spent most of my life fighting for faunus rights with the White Fang. I am still fighting for rights, but the last thing I want to do is draw attention to myself. If anyone from the White Fang saw me, it would cause more problems than we need right now. I would prefer to avoid crowds for the rest of the day. And I have a new book and the prospects of a quiet afternoon."

The Ruby in black's shoulders slumped a bit. "Oh, I hadn't realized there would be extensive crowds today." In a much softer tone, she muttered, "I don't want to go anymore." Yang reached out to hug her half-sister, only to be rebuffed. She jumped onto her bed, partially concealed by her self-made drapes.

"We need nicknames for the two Rubies, regardless of what we intend to do. We can't just call both of you Ruby." Weiss pointed towards the Ruby in red. "We'll call the child Red, and the one who acts like an adult, Black."

In a perfect timed leap, Red found herself draped around Blake. With a single pull, she undid Blake's bow and scratched her ears. Blake's purring rang throughout the room, her golden eyes rolling into the back of her head. After a moment, Blake remembered herself. She pulled away from Red, whispering, "Please don't touch my ears. They are rather sensitive."

"Honestly, Weissy, that's just terrible. The one in black is Rutwo, the red one will be Ruby." Yang was still watching her apparently shy half-sister as she spoke, concern apparent to all who could see her. Ruby hadn't acted this extreme since they arrived at Beacon.

"You can't just create a portmanteau and call it a name. Names should have meaning, have power." While she was worried about the Ruby in black, her main concern was staying away from the Ruby in red. Thankfully, Blake was dealing with the terror at the moment, but she still watched her like a hawk.

"My sisters, my names. Deal with it, Weissicle."

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose. "I, for one, think one Ruby is plenty for anyone. We will have to determine what caused the difference in personality and appearance. May I have the paper?" Ruby slipped away from Blake and wordlessly handed the paper the original Ruby used to create the change to Weiss. She had written on the page 'Create a second Ruby Rose'. There was something about the writing bugging her, but she couldn't quite identify the problem. Unless her mind was trying to tell her this wasn't Ruby. Is it possible for auras to be separated from their bodies? The shenanigans of the day had already drained her of her wits. She would help to solve the puzzle. "Blake, do you see anything wrong with this?" she said, holding the page out to Blake.

Her task completed, Ruby joined her duplicate on her bed. She pulled the drapes open and sat on the edge of the bed, her legs dangling off the edge before pulling her clone onto her lap, hugging her.

"Weiss, you're a cat faunus. Your sister is an avian faunus. Today, wrong is relative. So what if Ruby made an evil duplicate? We lock her up, then you three go to the rally. I get peace and quiet for once, you three get to spend the day with Winter. Everybody wins." Blake glared at Yang while she was talking. Yang seemed to struggle with the notion of reading for entertainment. Rutwo stared at her, tears bubbling over her silvery eyes. Ruby pulled her sister in tighter, as if she could protect her duplicate from the words being spoken below.

"Blake! My sister could never be evil. How could you say that?" Yang was horrified at her partner. "Ruby is the bee's knees. Has she done anything to make you think that? And look at Rutwo. Does she look like some incarnation of evil?"

"Rutwo isn't evil," Weiss said rolling her eyes at the terrible name. "She happens to be a mature adult. The other one, she's a child and a danger to my sanity, but still not evil."

"I'm not calling either of them evil. Every book I've ever read about this happening, one copy is evil, the other is good. It's something we need to consider."

Yang looked at Weiss, then replied, "Nope. Not evil."

"Ditto. And even if she was a danger, we could stop her. We are not locking up my partner," Weiss confidently proclaimed. She doubled over as a red rocket shot from the bed, grappling her neck, a shower of petals bathing the room in red.

"I KNEW YOU CARED, WEISS!" The humanoid scarf hanging from Weiss's neck suddenly let go, clutching at her head. "Oww, that hurt." She quickly bounced back to her feet. "I'm fine."

"Ruby, you dolt, control yourself. You can't just fly off a bunk bed into someone! We could get hurt, you could break something. And if you touch my ears, you'll never see cookies or strawberries again. Are you sure you're fine?" Weiss straightened her clothes, then checked on Ruby. Her eyes had dimmed a touch, but Ruby appeared to be fine for the moment.

Ruby pouted at the threat. "But Weiss, your ears are so soft, at least as soft as Blake's," she whined to her partner.

"Fine. You want to play with ears?" Weiss stormed over to the pen, then snatched a page from her journal. In graceful, looping letters, she wrote 'Ruby Rose is a faunus'. The fuschia light grew around both Rutwo and Ruby, leaving them with dark wolf ears. "Play with your own." Weiss placed her journal and the pen back into their resting place in her desk.

"YAY! I match everyone else!" Ruby promptly started to rub her own ears. "Aww, they don't feel as good. Wait, maybe I need someone else to rub them. YANG!" Ruby jumped onto her sister, pushing the two of them onto Blake's bed, who just barely managed to avoid being crushed by her partner. "Scratch my ears," she said, deploying her puppy eyes. Under normal circumstances, her puppy eyes were nearly indefensible. With her new wolf ears, Yang stood no chance. She scratched her sister's ears, causing Ruby's right leg to thump against the edge of the bed. "Yang, if we're going to a faunus rally, you should match the rest of us."

"Would it mess up my hair? I've spent far too long taking care of it."

Rutwo hesitantly called out, "Not all faunus have animalistic ears. You could acquire a caudal appendage. It would ensure your hair would remain unaffected."

"A caudal appendage? A tail? That would work. You **were** paying attention in Grimm Anatomy! Why did you need my notes all semester?" Weiss looked up at Rutwo, who only shrugged in response. "I see."

"If you're sure, go for it, Weiss. I'm always up for something new. Thanks, Rutwo! Did you want to come down with the rest of us?" Eyes wide open, Rutwo vehemently shook her head.

"It you're sure." Weiss removed the pen and ordered it to change Yang into a faunus with a tail.

One lightshow later, Yang's new blond tail stretched out from her shorts. "Ouch, that pinches. Let me change." She snatched a yellow combat skirt Ruby had purchased for her last year for finishing in fourth place in the festival. She sprinted into the bathroom to change. A moment later, she returned to the bedroom holding her tail. "Look Blake, we match!"

"Joy. Doesn't the shuttle leave in ten minutes? You three should be leaving," Blake said flatly. Thus far, she's managed to not lose her spot in her book, but if Ruby continued, it was only a matter of time.

"Oh, right. Thanks Blake! Yang, you'll need to adjust on the way. Team RWY, to the shuttle!" Ruby threw open the door and started marching down the hall.

"Blake, could you keep an eye on her for me? Neither of them are acting like themselves." A nod later, Yang jogged after her sister, quickly accumulating to the new appendage. Weiss rolled her eyes, then slowly walked down the hall, closing the door behind her.

A/N: We're back! Ordinarily, I would take the time to address the guest reviews over the past week. However, since they all deal with Ruby's changes, I won't be answering any of them. We will find out the answers soon enough. I'd like to thank 'Guest' from 12/12 for the idea of messing with personalities. I chose to use Ruby as opposed to Weiss, because she's already had an arc devoted to her changes. I'd also like to thank TrimusicaDrag00n90 for the idea of changing Ruby in a wolf faunus.

The chapter isn't as edited as I would like, so I will be fixing some of it later. I just wouldn't be able to post anything until Monday if I waited. Thank you for your patience and for reading the story! I'll see you next time for _A Yin to Her Yang_ and _Consequences_! Both chapters should be out within a week, baring unforeseen disasters.


	9. A Yin to Her Yang

The door to Team RWBY's dorm was gently closed, leaving Rutwo and Blake alone in silence. Blake was lying on her bed, reading _The Bawdy Bard_ while the redhead sat on her bed, lost in thought. Was she the real Ruby or was she some sort of remnant of a greater being? Memories of charging at a deathstalker, of starting a food fight, of smuggling Zwei into combat zone danced in her head, a constant reminder of the days before the pen changed everything. Whatever possessed her to act so impulsively? She could have endangered her friends and family! And yet, despite her efforts to behave like an adult, she managed to alienate Blake. She didn't even do anything before everyone assumed she was a maleficent monster. Even Yang liked her clone better than her! Weiss might claim to prefer her, but the enigmatic heiress was unpredictable. No one knew what she was really thinking, so perfect was her mask. "Blake?" She hesitantly began. "May I have a moment of your time?"

Blake folded the edge of the page, wincing as she did, placing the book next to her. Yang would have to pay for taking her bookmark. She looked at her leader's bed, a faint brush of pink bringing color to her pale cheeks. "Yes, Ruby? Or would you prefer Rutwo? What can I help you with?"

The ebony clad clone slipped off the edge of her bed, landing with the grace expected from a huntress, her blackened copy of Crescent Rose attempting to flee from its secured place on her back. Securing the weapon once more, she replied, "You can call me Rutwo, I don't mind." She had to ask someone whom she trusted the question plaguing her, but did Blake trust her? "Am I a real person? Or am I some sort of after image?" She asked, fear and dread coloring her voice.

Blake sighed, then beckoned for Rutwo to join her on the bed. "I don't know what you are, but I know one thing. You are as real as I am. You breathe, you can talk, you can read, and you can eat. You can eat, right?" Rutwo giggled and nodded in response, leaning onto the faunus's shoulder, her canine ears brushing against her cheek. "Human or faunus, natural birth or creation of magic, it doesn't matter how you started. You're here now. We all care for you."

"Then why did Yang choose my rambunctious self over me?" Rutwo muttered into Blake's shoulder.

Blake rested her head on Rutwo's head. "She didn't choose her over you. She trusted you to be better capable of handling yourself. Could you imagine her in Vale without anyone to watch her? It's like she's all impulse, none of your control."

Rutwo looked into golden eyes, and asked the most painful question of the day. "Why do you think I'm evil?" Her mercurial eyes threatened to spill over as she asked the question. That accusation hurt her the most. She had trusted Blake for her entire time in Beacon. When Blake had run away, she led the hunt to find her friend. Yet when she needed someone to lean on, Blake assumed she was a monster.

Gazing into those argent eyes, Blake said, "Rutwo, I'm sorry for upsetting you. We don't know what that pen did to you. I've read stories about this type of thing happening. In every story, one of the clones is evil. I thought the same thing might be happening here. I suppose I thought we were in one of my stories. I am so sorry."

"Thank you. Thank you for being honest with me." Rutwo snaked an arm around her shoulders, giving her a tight squeeze. "I'll let you get back to your book."

"Ru, you don't have to go, but if you want better company, Jaune did invite you to join their team today. It might help to spend the rest of the day with them."

"Ru?"

Flustered, she responded, "Calling you Rutwo feels insulting, and giving you a nickname is what Yang would do. I'm not particularly good with people," she finished lamely.

"Thank you, Blake. I think I will visit Jaune. And I think you are fantastic company." A knocking at the door punctuated her statement. Rutwo sprang from the bed to answer the door. Outside, one of Beacon's deliverymen was holding a cylinder in his hand. Beacon didn't use their delivery system for every package from home a student may receive, but for the more sensitive ones were delivered directly to the dorm. Weiss had arranged for Beacon to hand deliver each package to their dorm after Yang thought it would be funny to order some inappropriate items in the Schnee family name.

The cylinder was solid black, about a foot long and perhaps nine inches in diameter. The top of the cylinder had some ornate lid on it, though the purpose for the specialty lid escaped her for the moment. Rutwo thanked the deliveryman and closed the door. Reading the label on the package, she said, "Huh, Dad sent us a package." She placed the package on the top of the bureau near the door.

"You and Yang?"

"No, I mean the entire team. I think we'll open it when we all get home. I'll see you later Blake!" Rutwo waved at her friend and left the room.

* * *

The silence Blake had craved all day was finally hers. She could spend the entire day reading her books without anyone interrupting her. There are days the constant antics of her team could drive her towards villainy, and yet a part of her craved for her team to return. Solitude had lost a bit of its luster after spending what felt like an eternity with her obnoxious team.

She was pulled from her thoughts by an infuriating, rattling sound. Her feline ears subconsciously pointed her towards the door, where she noticed the package was shaking. Did their father send them that monster again? Whirring sound of gears and machinations signaled the lid slowly opening. The shaking of the package grew more violent the longer the lid slowly opened, until it finally fell from the bureau. A small corgi pulled himself from the package and bounded towards the room's lone inhabitant. "Ahhh, Z..Zwei! Stay away!"

* * *

Rutwo gently knocked on the door to JNPR's room. The conversation with Blake had given her the strength to deal with people for the rest of the day, but any group including Nora would present a particularly unique challenge.

The door swung open, revealing Team JNPR in their full glory. Jaune was lying on his bed, reading the newest X-Ray comic. Nora was bouncing on her bed, shouting for pancakes, Ren was out of sight, presumably making the aforementioned pancakes. Pyrrha opened door and greeted Rutwo, "Hello Ruby. How are you today?" Her eyes dance over Ruby, standing in the doorway. They lingered for a brief moment on Rutwo's ears, but then returned to those irresistible silver eyes.

"Good afternoon, Pyrrha. I'm well, and how are you?"

"Spectacular. We're going to the city to watch a movie after lunch. Would you like to join us?" Pyrrha stepped to one side, allowing Rutwo to enter the room. "Please come in."

Rutwo entered the room, answering, "Thank you. I'd like that."

The two members of the team in the dorm room stopped what they were doing, Jaune awkwardly attempting to slip his comic under his mattress and Nora executing a perfect backflip. "Hi, Ruby! I like what you did with your hair! Do you have wolf ears? How'd you get them? Do you think Ren should have faunus ears? He's making pancakes, then we're watching the feature on the tournament," Nora proclaimed, with all the solemn grace of a queen in the sanctity of her castle, if the queen had caffeine instead of blood.

While Rutwo had expected this type of greeting from Nora, it still startled her. The one thing she had forgotten to prepare was an excuse for her wolf ears. What would Blake or Weiss do? "Um, hi Nora. Weiss experimented on us with something new. My entire team possesses faunus traits today so they decided to attend the faunus rally today. I thought I take Jaune up on his offer."

"Weiss? Is that what she was doing when I stopped by the dorm earlier today?" Jaune questioned Rutwo, not noticing Pyrrha silently glaring at him over her shoulder.

"I... um, ah, I'm not sure. I was paying attention to Blake's friend." She fidgeted with the inside of her sleeve while talking to Jaune, trying redirect the questions away from her.

"Ruby, are you sure you wouldn't like to spend time with her? We can spend time together later." Pyrrha rested her hand on Rutwo's shoulder, causing her to flinch away. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. They are attending the faunus rally in Vale, and crowds aren't my thing." Rutwo replied, softly. She wrapped her cloak tightly around herself, as if to ward herself, or perhaps to offer comfort. She couldn't shake the feeling that Team JNPR were just as suspicious of her as her own family. Why was it so difficult for people to just trust her? Had she ever given anyone a reason to suspect her? "And we spent all morning together."

Rutwo was saved from further questions by the heavenly aroma of freshly baked pancakes. The air carried the barest hint of strawberries and blueberries to farthest reaches of the dorm, yet the chef extraordinaire had still not made an appearance. Much like a starving dog in front of a steak, Nora quivered in place on her bed, all attention directed to the door. Pyrrha said, "I think I'll see if I can help Ren set the table," while walking into the dorm kitchen.

Despite having eaten earlier in the afternoon, the scent of delicious strawberry pancakes was enough to spark a rumbling in Rutwo's stomach. Jaune smirked at the rumbling and asked, "Would you like to join us? Ren always makes far too much for one meal. Apparently, he thinks Nora can eat a hundred of them in one sitting. We'll just save the leftovers for snacks if you don't."

Touched by the gesture, she answered, "Thank you, I'd love to join you." Ren poked his head out of the kitchen, the apparent signal for the pancakes being done. Nora sprang into action with the power and grace of a cat pouncing on a mouse. She lunged from her bed to the kitchen door in a single stride, only to stop before the door to carefully walk into the kitchen. "Is this the usual occurrence?" Rutwo asked Jaune, as the two of them walked into the kitchen.

"Have you ever had Ren's cooking? She's completely justified in being a bit crazy for his cooking. He managed to make those rations they gave us for our last mission taste like the food Weiss ordered for the last dance. He's amazing." Huntsmen and huntresses were given military rations for extended missions, though Weiss often complained Beacon was attempting to poison her. The rations tasted little better than cardboard, which had prompted Ruby to order her team to smuggle real food on missions in order to delay eating the rations as long as possible. If Ren could make them palatable, he must be a gourmet chef.

JNPR's kitchen was arranged similar to her own dorm's kitchen. The most striking difference was the floating utensils and pans dancing around the kitchen. In the center of the room was Pyrrha directing the dance as if she was a conductor, guiding a metal spatula filled with pancakes to add to the growing mountains on the table. The banquet style folding table was set up with three separate stacks of pancakes. The first stack had a tinge of purple coloring, hinting to the fresh blueberries hidden within them. The second held a faint blush, revealing the strawberries waiting for someone to devour them. The third stack was the smallest of the three, though Pyrrha was in the process of adding to the stack. These pancakes possessed a scattering of chocolate chips.

"I wasn't sure what type of pancakes you liked, so I made a variety," Ren greeted Ruby, not even acknowledging the newest appendages resting on Rutwo's head.

The divine aroma of the three varieties overwhelmed Rutwo, though she managed to suppress her reaction. "Thank you, Ren. You weren't required to do this for me."

Ren waved the remark off. "You're our guest. It's the least I can do for you."

Rutwo offered a silent thanks to Blake for making the suggestion for joining Team JNPR for the rest of the day. These tiny gestures, while a simple courtesy, served as a reminder that regardless of her team's reaction to her appearance, she still possessed friends she could lean on. Here, she wasn't playing second fiddle to an energetic clone. She wasn't an aberration wearing the skin of a beloved team leader and friend. The person Yang had dubbed 'Ruby' could easily be confused for the original Ruby. She couldn't. To these four, Rutwo was a beloved friend. She softly replied, "Thank you," though those two words failed to convey the depth of emotions behind them.

A steel plate found itself floating in front of Rutwo. "If you would like any, you should get some soon." Pyrrha pointed to Nora standing in the corner of the kitchen. "Ren won't let her have any pancakes until everyone else has gotten a share."

"Thanks, Pyrrha." Rutwo snatched a pair of strawberry pancakes and stepped back from the table. A pink whirlwind descended on the trio of monuments to baked deliciousness, claiming about half the pancakes for the self-appointed queen of JNPR. Rutwo bit into a strawberry pancake, discovering Jaune may have underestimated Ren's talent. The exterior of the pancake was crisp, balanced by a light airy center with decadent chunks of fresh strawberries baked in the heart of the pancake. The flavor exploded on her tongue, just a bit on the sweet side. She was convinced this was the best pancake she had ever had, even including Yang's pancakes.

Her reaction must have been evident on her face, as Jaune asked, "Good, aren't they? He still won't share his secret with us."

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore," Ren matter-of-factly stated.

"The secret is love! And burn dust!" Nora yelled between bites of the divine gifts. Her mountain had somehow evaporated, leaving with her with a lonely chocolate delicacy.

"NORA!" Ren grabbed the pink human shaped locust swarm, before she descended on the unsuspecting remaining pancakes. "Chew and breathe. Would anyone else like any?" The trio quickly shook their heads in denial. Rutwo was in a bit of awe at the spectacle on display. Nora was picking up whole pancakes and making them disappear. There was no visible evidence of her opening her mouth or chewing, but they were being eaten nonetheless. She supposed it was a bit like watching herself eating cookies.

Once the pancakes were gone, JNPR and Rutwo cleaned up the dishes and began the journey to the shuttle. Nora and Ren skipped down to the shuttle to save the team a seat, leaving Pyrrha, Jaune, and Rutwo walking in silence. Pyrrha held Jaune's hand as they walked down the corridor, much to the redhead's surprise. "How long have you been dating?" She asked, breaking the silence. She wasn't normally the person to break the silence, but this development was so wonderful! Pyrrha had been chasing Jaune for the better part of two years!

Jaune let go of Pyrrha's hand, clearly startled by the question. "Dating? We, uh, aren't dating. Her hands just get cold easily." Pyrrha turned the color of her hair and quickly looked away from her partner.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just inferred since you were holding hands, you were together." Rutwo's cheeks burned at their reactions. Clearly Pyrrha wasn't as interested in Jaune as Yang had thought.

"It's fine, Ruby. We're friends," Pyrrha replied, a flicker of emotions dancing across her stony face. "Let's go to the shuttle. We shouldn't make Nora and Ren wait for too long."

The remainder of the journey to the shuttle was wrapped in an awkward silence. Neither Jaune nor Pyrrha were able to look at each other without blushing furiously, while Rutwo was unwilling to break the silence once more after her earlier faux pas. The shuttle was waiting for the final passengers to board the rapidly filling ship. The trio climbed on board the shuttle, only to be pulled aside by Nora through the crowd. Ren had managed to save a single seat next to him despite the massive crowd, though the implied threat of Nora holding her hammer likely helped in this feat. The ginger woman pushed Pyrrha into the seat then took her seat on Ren's lap. Rutwo grabbed onto the railings alongside Jaune. Upon takeoff, the ship banked sharply to the left, causing the crowd to tilt as well. A mischievous grin on her face, Nora subtly slipped her foot under Jaune's causing him to fall. Thankfully, Pyrrha was quick enough to catch him, pulling him back to his feet. "Jaune, why don't you sit with Pyrrha? She can help with your motion sickness and you won't fall as readily," Nora asked him.

"That isn't how it works. Moving - OOF!" Jaune's response was cut off by Nora pushing him onto his partner's lap.

Jaune froze on her lap, not knowing what to do in this situation. His father's wisdom seemed to have forgotten to mention how to deal with sitting in a beautiful woman's lap. "Nora! What are you doing?" Jaune attempted to stand up, just in time for turbulence to threaten sending Jaune to the floor.

Pyrrha wrapped her arms around Jaune, saving him from falling, and whispered, "Maybe we should wait until we land." Both Jaune and Pyrrha were brilliant red but accepted the forced sitting arrangements without further complaint. The rest of the journey was uneventful, save Nora's occasional laughter slipping past her best efforts. Any further conversation was lost to the din of the crowd.

The group left the shuttle, and began the journey to the theater near the local Merlot Hotel, a brief ten minute walk from the platform. As the team approached the theater, they heard a melodic voice scolding someone. "Ruby, until we fix this, you can't use your semblance whenever you want. I won't see you hurt over this foolish experiment."

Pyrrha caught sight of a group of five women leaving the hotel, four faunus and a woman wearing a pink bow in the back of her orange hair. One person in this group, a woman clad in a very familiar red cape, stood out in particular. "Ruby? But you're here and with them? What's happening?" Pyrrha finished, demanding an answer from the redhead trying to hide in her ebony cloak.

A/N: Hello everyone! I wanted to let you know the next chapter, _Consequences_ , will not be released as soon as I would like. I wanted to introduce one of my favorite characters into the story, but after the most recent episode, I found it too painful to write her. I'm still hoping for a midweek release, but I have some work to do before it's ready for release.


	10. Consequences Part 1

A/N: The events of _Consequences_ occur concurrently with the events of _A Yin to Her Yang_.

The shuttle to Vale was far more crowded in the middle of the afternoon than it was in the morning. Virtually every faunus in Beacon was crammed onto a single ship, causing Ruby, Weiss, and Yang to be separated. Needless to say, faunus with tails were not having an enjoyable ride to Vale. "Ouch, watch where you're stepping," Yang snarled at the rabbit faunus guilty of the offense. Her tail was proving far more sensitive to pain than she would have imagined.

The woman in question was a rabbit faunus team RWBY was familiar with. "Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't see your tail. Are you alright?" Velvet asked. Her eyes trailed up the lioness's body meeting the woman's eyes, widening in surprise. Yang's lavender irides were unique amongst the students of Beacon; anyone who saw them could recognize them. "Yang? Is that you? I didn't know you were a faunus."

Yang scratched the back of her head. "Oh, hey Velvet. How are you doing? Go to a lot of rallies?" Weiss would kill her if she blew her cover. What was the team's cover story? Did the team have a cover story? Yang wrapped her tail around her waist, hoping people would think it was a furry belt.

"I like to practice my photography at these events. I would offer you a look, but I'm afraid I can't quite reach my camera. Do you go these events often?" Yang was saved from responding by a fresh surge of people, pushing the two apart. "I'll see you later," the rabbit faunus called to Yang, only to be lost in the crowd. Yang could only breathe a sigh of relief. Velvet was a wonderful person but her shy nature would guarantee she wouldn't gossip. Most people tended to ignore Velvet, much to their loss. Had Nora or Coco discovered her, everyone in Beacon would know her current condition within the hour.

Thankfully for the passengers, the journey to downtown Vale was a short one. The shuttle platform was a basic concrete platform raised fifteen feet off the ground, surrounded by safety railings. A pair of stairs on either side of the platform and a ramp in the middle were the only ways on or off the platform. The shuttle dropped the students off on the right side of the platform. Yang left the shuttle to hunt her sister and teammate down, her eyes scanning the crowds, looking for Weiss's calico hair dye or her sister's telltale cloak. She caught sight of the crimson cloak of Ruby walking towards the exit of the platform on the far side, Weiss nowhere to be found. After a moment's hesitation, she leaped on the railings and ran after her sister. Her new tail ensured she wouldn't lose her balance. Having no crowds to deal with on the railings, she readily caught her sister. "That was a thing," she muttered to herself. "Ruby!"

Ruby turned to find her sister running on the railings. "Yang? Yang! Did you run on the railings all the way here? So cool!" A slight pang of jealousy rippled through Ruby. Her augmentation granted her heightened hearing and vision, but she was already in the top one percent in both senses. Her canine senses were wasted on her. But her sister's change gave her increased mobility and grace. It just wasn't fair.

"Have you seen Ceinwen yet?" Yang stepped off the railings with enough grace to make Weiss jealous. For once, she was likely the most graceful member of the team. She had no complaints about her body, but sometimes agility was better than sheer strength.

"Who? Oh, you mean Weiss. Nope, haven't seen her. She'll find us." Ruby saw no reason to look for Weiss. She was a big girl; she could take care of herself. She caught sight of her partner in the corner of her eye heading towards the two sisters, Velvet by her side. The two were in the middle of a lively discussion though Weiss did not look thrilled by the talk. "Found her," she said, pointing out the duo. Their conversation died out as they approached the sisters though Ruby's new ears allowed her to overhear them talking about Weiss attempt at a disguise.

Velvet reached the sisters first. "Hi, Ruby, Yang. How are you?"

"Velvet!" Ruby bounded up to Velvet. Startled by the normally more restrained leader, Velvet shied away from her. Ruby took advantage of the opportunity to play with Velvet's ears. They were the softest ears yet! It did feel weird the rabbit faunus did not lean into her attention like Weiss and Blake had done earlier in the day. Perhaps rabbit faunus were less sensitive than feline ones. Ruby scratched the ears harder in hopes of granting Velvet the pleasure her team had enjoyed.

"Please stop…" she begged Ruby to leave her ears alone. She was saved by Weiss dragging her partner away. What was wrong with her? She had never acted so impulsive and rude before? Was it related to her wolf ears?

"Sorry Velvet, Ruby isn't feeling quite herself. Did she hurt you?" Weiss asked. She had wrapped her arms around Ruby's elbows and stomach, holding her squirming partner. Not for the first time, she found herself cursing the twist of fate leaving her with this child wearing her partner's body.

"I'm fine," Velvet responded, checking her ears for any harm. "How are all of you faunus? I thought I knew all the second-year faunus." The three faunus froze at the question.

"Faunus? I have no idea what you're talking about," Yang answered, her feline tail rising behind her. Velvet looked pointedly at the tail, causing her to blush. "Yes, well, Weiss can answer that question better." Yang took her sister from Weiss, holding her out of arm's reach from Velvet.

"Yang! I thought we agreed to call me Ceinwen in public," Weiss scolded her partner's sister.

"Weiss, you never disguised your voice," Velvet pointed out. "And we've already talked. So how did you do it?"

Thinking fast, she confided, "Experimental energy reserves. We found a way to implement temporary changes to faunus. I thought we would use it to show support for the faunus rights today." She hadn't lied, the pen was experimental and the change was temporary though Weiss did feel a bit guilty about misleading her. Her father's lessons were normally worthless for dealing with people, but lying was not something a 'proper' lady should do.

"You found dust capable of changing someone? How is that even possible?" Velvet was awestruck. As an adept dust mage, she was confident she had seen every type of dust in the world. If this new dust could change someone into a faunus, what were the limits? Could this dust be used to change Grimm into harmless animals?

"I'm afraid everything about it is confidential information," Weiss bluntly told her. Velvet was mollified by the answer, but doubt still remained written on her face. Weiss couldn't shake the feeling this lie would bite them before all was done, but there was nothing she could do about it. The only other answer was to reveal the existence of the pen. How would the world react to power belonging to fairy tales actually existed? She softly scoffed at the notion. Fairy tales were just stories intended to teach children. No one would believe her even if she shouted the truth from the roof of Beacon.

While Velvet and Weiss were having their discussion, Yang quietly pushing for Ruby to apologize. "Velvet, I'm sorry for playing with your ears without permission," Ruby apologized to her friend. She still didn't understand what the problem was. Scratching the ears was just like giving someone a hug, only you got to feel the softest thing known to man or faunus. She managed to worm a single arm out of Yang's grasp to touch her own ears. Her shoulders slumped a bit at the lack of sensation. No one wanted to scratch her ears.

"It's fine, Ruby. You startled me, that's all." Velvet was very careful to keep her ears from straying too close to the young leader. There was no telling what she would do.

"Can we see your weapon? I never had the chance to it during the breach last year." Quickly bouncing back from her bout of melancholy, Ruby turned her puppy dog eyes towards Velvet. For most people, the sheer adorableness was enough to slip past their guard. For Velvet, the complete attention of a canine faunus was fear itself. She had seen Ruby fight enough to know how fast she can truly be. Cute or not, this was still a predator and should be treated as such. Sanity quickly seized control from her more primitive reactions, squelching her instincts to run. Her friend would never do anything to hurt her intentionally.

"Oh, I don't have a weapon. Would you like to see how I fight?" Ruby managed to accomplish a reasonable impression of a bobble head doll, so vehement was her nodding. "Would you mind activating your scythe?" Ruby slipped out of Yang's grasp, triggering Crescent Rose. Velvet opened her box to remove an ornate camera. She took a picture of the weapon. Her reddish brown aura rose around the camera, then plunged it into the instrument producing a picture of the scythe. "As long as I have an image or a replica, I can make it real. The image is consumed by the effort, so I try to take as many pictures as I can." She glanced at the other two women standing nearby. "Perhaps if you aren't busy, I could take a picture?" Velvet shyly asked. Yang shrugged and triggered her shotgun gauntlets. Velvet snapped a picture, then looked to Weiss.

"I'm afraid I don't have my weapon with me," Weiss replied.

Ears drooping slightly, Velvet said, "Oh, that's okay. Maybe I can take a picture of you later." Velvet stiffened when she realized what she said, blushing furiously. Yang raised an eyebrow at the faunus's reaction then glanced at Weiss.

"That is awesome!" Ruby was spellbound by Velvet's weapon. She could have any weapon in Beacon!

"Anything? Velvet, does that mean you can create dust?" Weiss asked, ignoring Velvet's blush. The comment was perfectly innocent. The fact a certain brute assumed the worst was her problem.

"Yes." Velvet's scroll chirped, interrupting the thought. She was saved from embarrassing herself even more by Yatsu. "Oh, I'm sorry. I have to meet someone before the rally starts. Take care." Velvet hurried off the platform, fleeing with wild abandonment. How could she say that to Weiss Schnee?

"Ruby, what's wrong with you? Do you know how rude it is to touch someone without their permission? Or to ask a huntress what their weapon is?" Weiss yelled at her partner. The others might find her behavior 'adorable' or 'innocent' but there was no excuse for what she did to Velvet.

Ruby shrunk in the face of Weiss's rage. "I'm sorry. It just felt like the right thing to do."

"Let's just find Winter," Weiss huffed and stormed down the nearby stairs. She had to find out what happened to Ruby. This was unacceptable.

"What did I do?" Ruby asked her sister.

"You just seem more impulsive than usual, that's all. Weiss will cool down. Just don't start touching everyone." Yang hugged her sister, then followed after Weiss.

Ruby triggered her semblance to catch up with her partner. The world slowed to a crawl for the young team leader, allowing her to effortlessly slipping through the crowds. All of this was typical for her. What wasn't typical was the steady weakening of her limbs and the creeping pain in her chest. She readily caught her partner near the local hotel, only to collapse once she ceased her semblance.

"Ruby! What's wrong?" Weiss cradled her partner's head, relieved to see her eyes open. "Ruby? What happened to you?"

A/N: I know I promised you a chapter earlier this week, but it turns out being able to see is a useful skill for writing. I've spent the last week nursing an eye injury. Thankfully, everything is alright now, but there is a limit to how long I can look at a computer screen. So I'm posting half of the chapter tonight and the other half soon. I won't make a promise as to when it gets posted, but it shouldn't be too long.

As for all the comments about Penny being fine that I got, thanks! I'm sure she'll be fine, but that episode reminded me why I don't write darker fics. I have this horrific thought of Penny's soul being trapped in her broken body, screaming in silent pain.

Anyways, thanks for reading!


	11. Consequences Part 2

"Ow… My chest hurts. Why does my chest hurt?" Ruby gasped out, eyes darting across the crowded street, unable to focus on anything. The world was a blur of pain and suffering. It felt like she was being ripped from her own body, kicking and screaming. She couldn't think, she couldn't stand. Was she dying? Would she get to see her mother again?

Panic ripped through the heiress. "Ruby, did anything happen to you on your way here? Do you feel any other pain? Shortness of breath?" Weiss checked Ruby's pulse, finding it within normal for her. Her semblance usually left her with an accelerated heart rate. Ruby's argent eyes, normally a clear silver, were clouded in pain.

"Noo… Ugh…" she groaned.

Weiss fumbled with her scroll, fear robbing her of any semblance of grace. The aura tracker revealed Ruby's aura had ticked away to nothing. In her mind's eye, she could only see the time she depleted her aura. The remembered pain consumed her thoughts. But the time reminded her of a possible way to deal with aura depletion. The medical team had her consume the power of an uncut freeze dust crystal. The energy jump-started the recovery process, allowing her aura to recover at an accelerated process. She had a few crystals in her pouch. She could do the same thing. If her aura was replenished, it would deal with any other issues that were going on. Weiss reached into her pouch and pulled out a wind and a freeze dust crystal. Which one should she use? Sometimes people were attuned to a particular dust. Wind seemed to fit Ruby best. She placed the dust crystal on Ruby's chest. "Ruby, I need you activate the crystal. Can you do that for me?"

"I think so." The white crystal illuminated like a flickering flame as Ruby consumed the howling tempest slumbering within. The power of the crystal soothed the pain, allowing her to sit up without agony. "What happened?"

"I have no idea. Stay still, I'm going to call your sister." Her scroll's aura tracker still showed no aura for Ruby, but at least, the pain had subsided. She quickly flicked to the phone app and dialed Yang's number. "Yang? It's Weiss."

"Am I not moving fast enough for your majesty?" she replied teasingly.

"Ugh, Yang, Ruby collapsed outside the-" She glanced up at the hotel towering over her and her fallen partner. "Merlot Hotel."

"What!? Is she okay? I'll be there in just a moment. What happened?" Yang broke into an open sprint, shoving through the crowd.

"I think she'll be fine. Her aura was depleted, but I gave her a dust crystal to accelerate her aura's recovery. I'm going to call my sister. She has more experience in first aid."

Ruby perked up at the sound of Yang's voice through the scroll. "Is that Yang?" She whispered to Weiss. "Hi, Yang!" She called through the scroll.

"Ruby! I'm on the phone. Yang, did you hear her?"

"Yup. I'll be at the hotel in a minute." Yang hung up the scroll and shoved it into her pocket.

"I expected her to be more upset," Weiss muttered to herself. She called her sister. "Winter! What do you know about aura depletion?"

"Good afternoon, Weiss. I have been trained to first aid, why? What happened?"

"My partner collapsed. I managed to stabilize her, but I don't have a confirmed cause."

"How did you stabilize her? Aura transfer?"

"I had her use a dust crystal. We haven't been taught to perform an aura transfer."

"You did what? Not important, we'll deal with that later. Where are you?"

"Outside the Merlot Hotel in Vale."

"The Merlot Hotel? Why don't you take her to a hospital?"

"Oh yes, let's take the faunus girl who's supposed to be a human to a hospital. Brilliant idea. There's no way that could end badly," Weiss snapped at Winter.

"She changed too? You said Merlot Hotel, correct? You and your team have a knack for being in the right place at the right time. I'll be right down." Winter hung up on her sister, then threw open her suite's window. After a running start, she lunged out the window. Her ebony wings snapped open, arresting her fall. She immediately spotted her sister, her sister's partner, and Yin running towards them on the ground. Was it Yin? She knew it started with a 'Y'. Yang? That was it.

Weiss glanced up as a shadow blotted out the sun. The angelic visage descending upon the members of Team RWBY slowly flapped her wings, sending her into a lazy spiral. The figure beat her wings rapidly, kicking up dust as she landed. The woman, clad in loose fitting a white shirt and pants, was her sister, Winter. She folded her great ebony wings against her back, like a magnificent feathered cloak. Weiss was in shock. She had always assumed avian faunus wings were non-functional. "You can fly! Which isn't important, right now. Do you have any idea what happened to Ruby?"

Yang caught up to the group, shouting, "Ruby! What's wrong? Talk to me!" She slid on the ground, stopping in front of Weiss and Ruby.

"I'm fine, Yang. Weiss is taking of care of me." Ruby said, her head lying in Weiss's lap. Her eyes had begun to clear though clouds still covered her light.

"I just arrived. Let's get her to my suite, then we can examine her. I have an expert aura tester in my room. Yang, can you carry her?" Winter gestured towards the hotel looming overhead.

"I can walk. I'm fine," Ruby protested the proposed plan. She didn't need any help, she was perfectly fine. Sure, her semblance acted weird that one time, but what were the odds it would happen again?

"She's my partner. I'll carry her." Weiss hefted Ruby, swaying under the weight. While not capable of the same feats of strength as Yang, bolstered by her aura, Weiss had thought herself equal to the task of carrying her partner. Unfortunately for her, Ruby was significantly heavier than her lean frame belied.

"Weiss, I don't need to be carried. I can walk." Ruby twisted out of Weiss grip, falling to the ground.

"I'll take her. You gave it your best, but she had one too many cookies."

"Yyyaaaaannnnnnggggg! I'm still awake," Ruby whined at her sister.

"Hush, Ruby. I've got you," replied Yang. She lifted her sister and walked into the hotel.

The group ascended to the suite at the top of the hotel with nothing more interesting than a complaining Ruby happening. The hotel attendants were clearly well trained to adhere to the respects of their customers, as they did not ask questions. The sprawling suite was devoid of any unique sign of personality and spotless, save a single mahogany desk with papers stacked neatly into a single stack on it. A solitary nevermore shaped paperweight defended them from the scourge of the open window.

The far side of the room revealed a single person in the open closet. The closet was devoid of the traditional clothing and trappings one would expect within a closet. Instead, a series of dangling wires crisscrossed the walk-in closet, connecting to a woman, one very familiar to the patient. The ginger-haired android's emerald eyes snapped open upon the group entering the suite. "Salutations, Specialist Schnee! Your wings are looking splendid today!" Eyes of jade danced across the party, falling on the brunette leader lying in Yang's arms. "Ruby! Are you alright?" Penny questioned, rushing over to her friend.

Winter smiled at the friends. "Penny, I believe you know Ruby and her teammates? Please perform an aura scan on Miss Rose."

"Yes, Specialist Schnee," Penny replied mechanically. Her brilliant eyes dimmed a touch at the order. She held her hand out towards her friend, a soft green light shined from her open hand as she ran it up and down Ruby's body. Amaranth rose in response to the green light. "Her aura is recovering, but she appears to be combat ready. However, it appears she has the wrong aura. I will have to conduct an in-depth scan. Ruby, please lie down on the bed and remain still." Ruby climbed into the bed. Penny's green light once more began to travel up and down her body.

Yang never left her sister's side. "Winter, how long is going to take?"

"Penny is the best field medic in all of Remnant. Her condition isn't going to worsen. I promise you, she'll be fine. Can you tell me what happened?" Winter pulled a couple of folding chairs for her sister's team. "Please," she said, nodding towards the chairs.

Weiss and Yang exchanged glanced at each other, then Weiss replied, "There isn't much to tell. Ruby used the pen to create a duplicate. One is mature and clever, the other is childish and impulsive. The mature one stayed in our room while the child came with us to see the rally. Everything went according to plan until she used her semblance. She complained about chest pain and collapsed. Then I called both of you."

"She created a duplicate and now her aura changed color? Interesting. Weiss, may I speak with you privately." Weiss glanced at Yang who nodded in response. Yang joined Ruby near the bed, holding her hand while Penny worked. The two sisters walked to the far corner of the room and in hushed tones, Winter continued, "You said you had stabilized her aura using a dust crystal. Why would you do that?"

"In the tournament, I depleted my own aura. The medics had me use a freeze crystal and hold the power in myself. Professor Goodwitch told us in combat class that was an acceptable way of encouraging the body to recover aura."

"Weiss, does your partner know how to channel the power of dust?"

"No, she's allergic to dust. I have to fill my weapon in the bathroom."

"Dear sister, did you use dust on someone with a dust allergy and is incapable of properly channeling the power?"

"Yes…"

"Weiss, never do that again or I will pull you from Beacon myself. You could have severely injured your partner. You were very lucky she didn't explode. Fortunately, Penny hasn't found any damage."

Weiss paled at the thought of accidentally killing her partner. "I.. didn't know."

"I know, Weiss but you have to be careful. Let us rejoin your teammate." Winter and Weiss walked back to the chairs.

Yang looked up at the clicking of Winter's shoes. "Is everything alright?"

Winter smiled at the big sister. "Considering the circumstances, everything is fine. I have a theory as to what happened to your sister. Auras function like a muscle. The more you use it, the stronger they become."

Weiss interrupted her sister. "I thought that was semblance."

"Semblances are powered by auras. For all intents and purposes, they are exercised the same way. The differences aren't important for this situation. Much like muscles, auras can be strained or twisted."

"I've never heard of that happening." Weiss claimed her seat and gestured for Yang to do the same. She followed suit, but concern for her sister was evident. Weiss whispered to her, "She'll be alright. We can fix this." She held her hand out to Yang.

Yang took the offered hand and whispered, "Thanks, Weiss."

Winter smiled at the two teammates. It was good to see Weiss actually helping people. "Strained auras happen in huntresses and huntsmen who try to push themselves too far. Usually happens when people run out of aura while using their semblance.. Auras can recover in time, but we need an official diagnosis first. The fastest way to recover aura is simply do something that makes you happy. While other means exist, they each have their own problems," said Winter, staring at Weiss. "Has my dear sister ever told you the story of how she discovered her proficiency with dust?" The elder sister looked like needed the distraction. Weiss would complain, but she would understand. She was terrible with words, but Weiss did care for people.

Weiss jolted from her seat, pulling away from Yang. "Winter, don't you dare!" She took her seat once more, nervously straightening her slacks.

Yang cocked her head at Winter, looking more like a canine faunus than a feline. "She told us she learned how to use dust in a controlled training environment. Are you telling me she lied to us?"

"I suppose she was in a training environment." Weiss covered her face as Winter began the story. Hints of crimson peaked through her fingers. "Have you ever been to the Schnee Dust facilities? There is a room devoted to accepting and testing new sources of dust. Father had decided to bring both of us with him to test the dust from the new mine. I was supposed to watch my sister, but she ran off to investigate the new crates. She managed to open one of the Freeze dust crates and started playing with one of the crystals. I didn't think anything was going to happen until the uncut crystal began to glow. She somehow managed to activate all the Freeze dust in the building! It took us two weeks to chip away enough ice to reopen the building. She went into training the moment the building reopened."

Yang turned in her chair to stare at Weiss. "You froze an entire building? Why haven't you done that against the Grimm?"

"I want to give the Grimm a fair chance. You dunce, I don't carry crates of dust with me. If you'd like to carry my extra dust, I'd be more than happy to oblige your desire for wanton destruction."

Yang chuckled at her defensive reaction. "Alright, Weiss. We'll have to remember that next time we go to Mountain Glenn." The mirth faded from her eyes the moment she saw Ruby lying on the bed. Weiss took Yang's hand once more.

Winter began to panic a bit as she looked at the scene before her. She knew she had to get Yang to calm down, but dealing people had never been a strength. Telling the story worked for a moment, but it didn't last. "Could you tell me more about how you got the pen? I might be able to figure something out if I knew more."

"There isn't much to tell. I was given the pen in the library by a young man. He said something about the power of the written word, then left. He was from some place called the Umbraporium."

"'Take this gift, and know now that you are able to do so much more.' Have you been to this place?"

"We did. Did you just quote The Story of the Seasons?" Yang responded.

"Yes, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with this. It just sounded familiar. Did the man tell you anything? Any instructions?"

"He told us the pen should not be used to create, destroy, or alter time," Weiss answered.

A look of panic shot across Yang's face. "What did you say Ruby did with the pen?"

"She created…" Weiss's voice trickled off as the realization hit her. "Is this what the man was talking about? We have to get back to the dorm."

The soft green illumination suddenly snapped off. "Specialist Schnee, Ruby appears to have strained her aura. I would recommend rest and relaxation until she recovers. However, her aura appears to be impaired in some manner I cannot identify. I would recommend taking her to a hospital for a more thorough examination." Penny softly added, "I could return to Beacon to ensure her safety."

Winter, Weiss, and Yang rushed over to Ruby's bedside. Winter said, "Penny, you know your father would be upset if you were to be injured. I can't leave you unprotected."

Ruby's argent eyes fluttered open as she said, "We can watch her. I could use the additional company."

Winter sighed and said, "It doesn't matter what I think, does it? They might believe otherwise, but you are your own person. Make your own choice."

"Sen-sational! I will help Ruby recover from her injuries!"

"Penny, please be careful. None of us want to see you hurt," Winter said.

"Don't worry, Specialist Schnee. I'm combat ready!"

"Winter, we'll take care of her," Weiss reassured her sister.

"Very well, dear sister. Will you be joining me at the rally?"

"I think we should see to Ruby's condition first. I'm afraid we'll have to pass today. Ruby, are you ready to return home?"

"Can we have cookies when we get back?" she asked, the mischievous gleam once more danced in her eyes. Behind her, Winter silently nodded to Weiss.

"Will you behave for the trip back?" At Ruby's eager nodding, Weiss muttered, "Such a child. Fine. But then we're fixing you and your better half."

Yang's eyes widened in shock. "Better half? Weiss, why did you use that word choice?"

Flustered, she replied, "I… no reason. I just think Rutwo is better behaved."

"Weiss, Rutwo is shy and mature. This Ruby has no control at all. What was the first thing Rutwo said? Something about feeling like she was cut in half? The pen can't be used to create. Could it have split her aura in half?"

Penny looked at each of the three members of Team RWBY present. "Pen? What pen are you talking about? Is this why you are faunus?"

"Penny, we'll explain at the room. How did we miss it? Dunces, both of us. Ruby, we're leaving. Winter, thank you."

Yang, Weiss, Ruby, and Penny opened the door and began the journey home. However, Winter soon caught up to them. "I am returning to the rally. I trust you won't mind if I follow you to the lobby."

The sun had begun to set on Vale, the dying rays of light tinting the lobby pink by the time the team had reached the exit of the hotel. The fading light revitalized Ruby in a way the time with Penny failed to do so. She darted outside, letting the door swing freely, only to be grabbed by a pale hand. "Ruby, until we fix this, you can't use your semblance whenever you want. I won't see you hurt over this foolish experiment," Weiss scolded her partner. She held Ruby in place while Yang, Winter, and Penny caught up.

"Um, Weiss? We may have a problem," Ruby whispered to her partner, pointing up the road. Team JNPR had turned their attention to Rutwo, Nora constantly stealing glances at Ruby.

"Ruby, don't say a word about the pen. Pretend she's the result of an experiment," Weiss whispered back. Ruby waved at her fellow team, ready to get this awkward moment over with.

Nora decided questioning Rutwo was going nowhere. She grabbed the ebony cloaked girl and dragged her over to her duplicate, the rest of her team following after her. "Hi, Ruby! Did you find a magical artifact capable of creating duplicates without telling us?" she blurted out, pouting at the end of the question.

"Ah, hi Nora. You found my cousin!" Ruby shouted, throwing her arms around Rutwo. She whispered in her duplicate's ear, "Just go with it."

"Cousin? But she knew us and she said her name was Ruby."

Weiss stepped forward and bailed her partner out. "Nora, I promise we'll explain everything, but we have to go. Now."

"But I wanted to-" Rutwo started, only to be cut off by Weiss.

"Ruby, we discovered the cure for your condition. We need to take care of you." Weiss grabbed both copies of her partner and started to drag them towards the shuttle.

Yang said to Nora, "Sorry, Weiss has a protective streak after all. We'll talk to you later." She and Penny hurried after Weiss and both Rubies. Winter shrugged at the dumbfounded team and flexed her wings. In a cloud of dust, she flew away.

Weiss refused to allow either Ruby to escape her grip on their trip home. While she was hoping no one would be able to identify her, she expected to hear rumors about a female faunus who held a pair of faunus sisters on her lap the whole trip to Beacon. Even if someone identified her, as had been her luck today, it was still worth it. Keeping her team safe was more important than keeping her reputation pure. Besides, there were only a couple of seats free. It only made sense to keep her troublesome partners under control. Yang spent the entire trip with that annoying smirk on her face while Penny's emerald eyes gleamed with some unknown emotion. If Weiss didn't know better, she'd think it was envy. She groaned at the unspoken jokes she knew Yang would say if she knew where Weiss's mind had wondered. She has spent too long with the brute.

The team walked in silence to the dorm, Ruby tightly bound in Yang's arms, until they reached the door to the dorm. The four faunus paused and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?" Yang asked her teammates.

Ruby sniffed, then exclaimed, "It's Zwei!" She threw the door open and bounded into the chamber. Weiss rolled her eyes and followed her partner's impulsive half. The sight she beheld caused her to stop.

A/N: Yes, even I get tired of teases. Ever have a chapter you rewrote a dozen times then just decided to release it because you got tired of dealing with it? That was me for this chapter. But then again, every chapter I've hated had been the ones with the best response, so what do I know? I am going to do a bit of a rewrite of the early chapters since I feel like I'm a better writer today than I was back in November.

I can now check off Nuts and Dolts and Freezerburn off the shipping list. I only have Monochrome left to tease! Well, of the main ships.

Next time, Zwei tells the story of how he and Blake spent the afternoon! Craziness ensues!


	12. A Dog's Tale

Weiss was in shock at the sight before her. When she left earlier in the day, the dorm room was in acceptable shape. While it would never have passed inspections back home, the clutter had been isolated to Ruby's corner of the room and her desk. Now, it looked like the aftermath of one of Yang's bar visits. Blake's shelf of books had been knocked over, scattering her books on the floor. Weiss's desk had broken in the middle, one of the legs were lying on the floor near the door. One of the ropes hanging Ruby's deathtrap over her bed were fraying, imperiling Weiss's bed. While the group of four observed the room in horror, a pair of glowing eyes watched them from Blake's bed. Closer inspection revealed a small corgi lying on Blake's bed. "Zwei? What's my favorite fuzzy wuzzy furball doing here?" She kneltto the ground, arms stretched out as Zwei came bounding over to her.

"You're home, you're home!" the dog yelped. "I thought you'd never come home! I only had the kitty to play with, then she left!" He bounced to Weiss feet, but stopped a few feet away. She smelled different. In fact, all the mistresses smelled different. The biggest and the smallest ones smelled a bit like the mistress who liked to play games with him. He wondered where she went. She scratched some lines then disappeared. Greatest game ever! The one who fed him the most, she smelled like a rival. But she wasn't hostile. She must know she belonged to him. Maybe she could understand him better now. He could see two of the beloved mistress, but he's sure it would all work out. As long as he got his required cuddling time, his food on time, his walks, and his attention, she could have a second pet. The last person was weird. He couldn't smell anything from her. It would require further investigation. He cautiously stepped towards the stranger.

Weiss scooped the corgi into her arms and started to scratch the unofficial mascot of Team RWBY's belly. "Did you know Zwei could talk? Who's a good boy? You are, yes you are."

Yang and her two sisters exchanged a glance then Ruby shrugged. She joined Weiss in the time honored tradition of cuddling the team dog. Most curiously, Yang avoided contact with Zwei. Before they used the pen, Yang would have been the first to cuddle Zwei.

A slight frown crept onto Penny's face. She questioned Rutwo, "Is this the proper way to greet a dog? Is it normal for dogs to speak? I haven't found like that in father's records. He'll be so pleased I learned something new!"

Rutwo's eyes widened at the remark and whispered, "Penny, you can't tell anyone about this. Dogs shouldn't be able to talk and Weiss would be mortified if anyone heard her like this. Once we find Blake, we'll tell you what's happening." Rutwo cleared her throat as loudly as she could manage then said, "Weiss, other me? Maybe we can focus on finding Blake, then cuddle Zwei?"

Weiss's face burned a rather fetching shade of rose as stood up from the floor. Brushing the dust and dog hairs from her shirt and pants, she said, "Right. Blake. Does anyone see any clues?"

Without looking up, Ruby muttered, "She ran away. She'll be back." Unfortunately for her, the entire room possessed better than normal hearing, be it from faunus traits or robotic sensors. Weiss and Yang exchanged a glance, a worried glint in their eyes.

The crimsonette slipped next to her duplicate, whispering in her ear, "She's our friend and teammate. I know you still have the memories of our time before this change. Is that how we should react?"

"I don't understand. What change are you talking about? Is he like me?" Penny took three tentative steps towards Zwei.

Zwei noticed her hesitation, twisted away from Ruby, and bounced to the new stranger. "Hi, are you a new friend?" Penny reached a hand out to the corgi who sniffed at the offered hand. Undecided, he licked at her hand, then yelped, "Rub my ears!" Penny obliged the dog, though she was careful to avoid hurting him. Flesh could only take so much abuse. She found herself relaxing, her worries fading away. Ruby and her duplicate would be fine. She would determine how to best save her friend. It was the least she could do after all the protege had done for her.

Yang, at long last, stepped into the dorm, carefully keeping her distance from the spoiled dog. "Penny, it's a long story. We'll tell you after we find Blake."

Ruby rolled her eyes at the constant excuses. "Weiss found a way to change people. Blake turned her into a cat faunus, Weiss turned me and Yang into faunus."

Rutwo and Weiss interrupted, "Yang and I."

"Whatever. I used the pen to make a duplicate."

"Well, you didn't create a duplicate. We believe you split your soul and personalities in half." Weiss grinned madly. "I guess that makes you Yang's quarter sisters."

Rutwo froze at the comment, her eyes dimming. "I'm a half of Ruby?" she whispered, her words softly spoken to avoid unwanted ears.

"Time and a place, Weiss," Yang sighed. Weiss was trying to get better at sounding human, but timing still eluded her. One does not joke when a friend is in peril. You can relax once everyone was home and safe.

"Oh. Is that how the dog can talk?" Penny had moved onto the more advanced art of loving a dog; rubbing the belly of the beast.

"Yup. The fun one scratched some lines and then she could understand me! She's the best at hide and seek!" Zwei's eyes were half closed in pleasure, his hind legs twitching in the air.

"Zwei, could you start at the beginning? What happened here?" Rutwo asked, her concern for Blake pulling her from her fears.

"Well, master fed me, then asked 'who' sa good boy? I said I was, then he gave me a stick-"

Yang interrupted Zwei, commanding, "Could you start at when you got into the room? Where's Blake?"

"Blake? Is that the kitty?" Zwei bounded over to Weiss, proudly barking, "Kitty here. The fun one scratched something and disappeared. I miss the games." Zwei slouched a bit, his body screaming disappointment.

"'Scratched some lines?' She used the pen," Rutwo groaned. "Let's find her writing. Hopefully she didn't take it with her."

Weiss walked to the ruins of the team's shared desk, though they agreed it was Weiss's desk. In the broken desk, she found her journal, opened to a page dated the day of prom. She quickly flipped through the journal, looking for a sign of anything unusual. She did find another torn page from her journal, this one in the back. She never tore from the back of the journal; it led to an unkempt appearance. "She took a page from my journal, but I don't see the pen."

Yang climbed onto Weiss's bed, then jumped to Blake's bed. For some reason, Zwei made her uncomfortable despite having spent her entire life around the adorable mooch. She mentally tagged it as a side effect of being a faunus, but she had no experience in the matter. On the bed, she discovered the missing quill and a book of fairy tales. "Found the quill," she called out.

"The fun one was on the bed before her left. When will she come back? I wanna play!" Zwei ran away from Penny, trying to leap onto Blake's bed.

Yang opened the book, only to discover the missing page from Yang's journal. She said, "That feisty girl. Do you remember what she said the first day you got the pen? She retreated into this book."

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked the designated mother of the team.

In response, Yang read the note aloud. "I wish I could escape into the book I am holding for one hour. Pretty sure."

Ruby chased down the family dog, picked him up, and walked over to Weiss's bed. "Which story did she enter?"

Yang glanced at the open book, a picture catching her eye. The image showed four women, one was dressed in blue. The second was green, the third in green. The last picture looked like Blake, if she was dressed in amber. "I think she's in a story called The Story of the Seasons. One of the pictures look like her."

The book began to shake and shiver as a pale hand reached through the picture. Yang pulled on the arm, pulling Blake from the book of fairy tales. Blake's eyes were wide, terrified, looking like she had stumbled across some deep dark secret. "You're back so soon? We have a problem. I think I know what the pen is. It has brothers in the world, somewhere."

A/N: I have one guest review to address today, then some updates on the rewrite. To answer the guest's question, I don't think I ever explained what type of faunus Winter became. I referred to her as an Avian faunus because I couldn't find an animal that would be able to fly with human proportions. I was thinking of her as a raven, if only because the ravens near my home look much better than the crows, but I'll fix it when I get to that chapter in the rewrite.

As of right now, I believe I have posted the rewrite up to chapter 5. It should help align the RWBY relationships closer to what has been shown in volume 3. I haven't changed too much, though chapter two did get a scene in which Ruby is taught how to use dust added in. It was always supposed to be in, but I was impatient. A few other scenes have been expanded in that chapter, as well as the tone of Weiss's first change has been altered.

Now the bad news. As of right now, I am putting the story on indefinite hiatus. I have no drive or passion to write this story right now. It has been more successful than I had ever imagined, especially when I read the original first chapter, but this isn't the type of story I can just go through the motions. The rewrite will continue. Hopefully that can ignite some passion to write this story again.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read, follow, favorite, and reviewing this story. Your comments have been a beacon of light on dark days. I hope I can post something soon.


	13. Good Night, Penny

Penny partitioned her mind to muse on the ramifications of this power while dealing with what was happening in front of her. Everything she had ever read or learned told her Blake reaching through a book was impossible. But has anything Ruby and her friends ever done made sense? Most of them were sporting faunus ears. Penny's thought processes rebooted at that observation. Was it possible for them to make her human even if for one day? Being a synthetic huntress ensured she would forever be separate from everyone else. Ruby was the first person who saw her as a person, not some soulless machine waiting to be sacrificed for some untold plan. Even if it was just one day, she would want to experience life.

"Blake, what do mean there are more pens like this?" Weiss questioned Blake.

Blake was slightly shaking after what she had endured. Being teleported into a fairy tale was exhausting. "Can't you see she needs to rest? Whatever she discovered can wait until tomorrow morning," Yang scolded Weiss. She wrapped her arms protectively around her partner.

"What? No, Yang, it's important. People could…" Blake started to protest, but Yang was so warm and she was so tired. She tried to resist as long as possible, but the soft purring of some faunus lured her to sleep.

"Perhaps we should all get some sleep. It's been a long day," Weiss whispered out of respect for her sleeping team mate.

"But I'm not-" Ruby's words were cut off by a yawn. "Tired yet."

Penny walked to the side of her friend, her newest furry friend happily padding along at her side. "You need to rest. Your aura is severely damaged. In the morning, we can play with friend Zwei!"

At mention of his name, Zwei yelped, "Play! In the morning. I'm tired." The little corgi curled into a ball in the middle of the floor between the two bunkbeds and began snoring immediately.

"I suppose we should discuss sleeping arrangements. There are six of us and only four beds," Rutwo said. "Do you sleep?" she asked Penny.

Emerald eyes gleamed at the question. No one had ever asked about her operational requirements. Well, no one besides Father. Ruby was the best friend she could have ever hoped to find! "I am sleep ready! I can also recharge from an outlet."

"I can stay with the kitten. She's already sleeping in my arms," Yang offered. Blake was softly purring in her arms, making moving her difficult.

"Absolutely not. You two will not be sleeping together in this dorm." Weiss's tone left no room for arguments or discussions.

"Weiss, you make it sound like something different than what I was talking about. We're partners. We had to sleep together during our survival classes," Yang protested.

"I don't care about that. You can do whatever you'd like. I need you to keep that hellion away from me and three people are a bit much on one of our beds," she said, pointing to Ruby. "The rest of us can sleep in our own beds."

"Penny, do you have a preference? I think we could make room on my bed or maybe make a makeshift bed for you." Rutwo's argent eyes scanned Penny's face for any emotion.

"Thank you, Ruby, for your kindness, but I think I will plug in for the evening. Beacon has a wonderful selection of books to read." Noting the bookcase, Penny read the novel titles for anything new or informative to read. Her eyes noticed a small hiding hole in the back of the book shelf. It would require further investigation.

"Alright. If there is anything you'd like to read, I'm sure no one would mind if you read one of our books." Rutwo glanced at the rest of her teammates for confirmation. The only thing that could be construed as dissent was Weiss's eye roll, but since she nodded while doing it, she assumed everything was fine.

Grumbling as she worked, Yang slowly untangled herself from Blake. Blake did not make it easy for her. She was clingy in her sleep, as if her unconscious mind had decided contact was something worth fighting for. Eventually, Yang managed to free herself and set Blake down in her bed. "Come on, Ruby. Her majesty has decided we need to bunk together," she whispered at her half-sister. Ruby and Yang climbed into bed, muttering their farewells. Weiss and Rutwo followed their teammates' lead.

The hanging bed swayed under the weight of the team leader, the ropes fraying even further. She was in serious danger of falling on Weiss's bed, were it not for Penny's intervention. The synthetic huntress pulled a dust-infused filament and quickly reinforced the bed. Her weapons were connected to her via several of these filaments. It was an easy task to remove a filament from her weapon. They were created specifically so she could quickly detach them in the event of catastrophe. The threads were nearly unbreakable, so she had insisted on this basic safety feature. The bed was in no danger of ever collapsing.

Penny settled down for the evening near the broken remains of the team desk. She decided to spend at least part of the evening placing an order for a new desk for the team. The Atlas military gave her access to a substantial allowance in order to allow her to appear more human. But she had no need for food or water, nor did material goods attract her attention. If a huntress life was good enough for her friend, it was good enough for her. A moment later, she received confirmation of the desk's arrival for tomorrow. It may have cost more than she would have preferred, but it was easily within her budget. She hadn't spent a lien of her allowance for as long as she could remember, after all. A small, treacherous part of her mind whispered she could have simply placed a false order for delivery in the shop's systems. Penny quickly partitioned and deleted that portion of her mind. That wasn't who she was.

Her task complete, her attention shifted to reading. She was more than capable of seeing in the dark. The only challenge was determining what to read. She quietly crept to the bookcase and peered into the hiding place. The book hidden within was one she had never read before. A scan of the information packets from the CCT seemed to imply _Ninjas of Love_ may possess some educational value in relationship building. The only question was whether or not the book was something her Father would want her to read. Weighing her choices in her mind for a moment, she decided to read it. Her first objective was learning how to blend in with society and this book may help her with this task. Her decision made, she carefully stepped back to her spot and opened the book. The night passed into day as Penny devoured the bookcase. Her friends had some interesting novels.

The first sign of day was Weiss stirring in her bed. Her time at Beacon had taught her the value of getting her rest when she could which normally meant sleeping in. But her new instincts demanded an early morning. As enjoyable as it was to spend time as something she wasn't, it was time to restore herself. Her disguise had failed, and she didn't want to deal with the potential issues blaming the changes on dust could create. Her father was particularly protective of anything he considered his legacy, whether it or she wanted anything to do with him. As silent as a cat, she slipped from her bed. The dorm was silent, save the - "Salutations, Weiss! Was your slumber restful?" Penny asked, her emerald eyes lighting up the predawn morning.

"Gah! Penny, you scared me!" She took a deep, calming breath. "I slept fine, thank you. How was your night?"

"It was wonderful! You have some of the most informative books. I learned so much." Penny beamed at Weiss, as if this morning was the greatest thing to ever happen to her.

"Hmm," Weiss noncommittally agreed. It was far too early to deal with this much perkiness. She desperately needed coffee this morning, but first she had to tear the paper binding her transformation to shreds. She reached for her bag to find the page when she heard a rustling from above. A loud thud, followed by the sounds of the rope straining to hold Ruby's bed confirmed her suspicions. Rutwo was awake.

"Salutations, Ruby! How was your rest?" Penny leaped from her spot the floor, embracing her friend in a tight hug.

"Ack, can't... breathe... too... tight..." Rutwo gasped. Penny immediately released her and stammered apologies. "I'm fine. I slept well. I spent a good portion of the night resisting the urge to howl at the moon, but I blame the lupine traits," she concluded, waggling her ears for emphasis. "How was your night?"

"It was wonderful! You have some wonderful books!"

While Rutwo and Penny were talking, Weiss pulled the page from her bag. She stared at it for a moment. Tearing the page would restore Weiss Schnee. It would mean going back to the burdens of being the heiress.

Glancing away from Penny for a moment, Rutwo caught sight of Weiss holding a page in front of her. "Excuse me, Penny. Weiss, are you alright?"

"Hmm? I... just..." her voice trailed off.

The more mature fraction of Ruby slipped away from Penny to take a seat next to Weiss. "Are you sure?"

"I suppose this has made me wonder what makes us who we are."

Penny joined Rutwo on Weiss's bed on the other side of the heiress. "We are who we are. Whether you are faunus or human, you're still our friend. You're still Weiss. Follow your destiny. All we can do is keep moving forward," Rutwo finished.

Weiss glanced around the dorm. Yang was sound asleep, thankfully not snoring, her tail hanging off the bed, perhaps a foot from Blake's nose. But it was close enough for Blake to twitch her nose every time it drifted near her. Her partner's 'evil' half was dangling off the other side of the bed. With a hint of a smile, she used a glyph to nudge her back onto the bed. Despite the room's slight chill, she could only feel the warmth of friendship. She knew without a doubt they would all agree with their wise leader. No matter how much she, and others, might have messed things up, their bonds were as strong as ever, possibly stronger.

She tore the paper in half. The magic broken, Weiss glowed a beautiful amber. She could feel a rush of warmth like the last summer breeze before winter swept it away coursing through her body. When the light faded, so did Weiss's night vision. Without her faunus traits, she was blind to the predawn morning. Only sparkles of silver and emerald remained of the world without light.

"Mistress? Are you alright?" Weiss could feel cold arms reach around her. It was Penny, she decided. A jolt of panic raced through her. She hated being touched. She... she had handled it just fine yesterday. It wasn't a faunus wearing her skin that handled the contact, it was her. Ears did not change her. She could manage.

Weiss returned the hug enthusiastically. "Everything is wonderful. Just wonderful. But, Penny? What did you call me?"

"Mistress. One of the books I read implied it was an acceptable title for one whom you feel affection for," Penny replied, proud of showing off her new knowledge.

Despite the darkness, Weiss could easily imagine Rutwo's face. By now, she might match her own fiery locks. She could almost feel the heat radiating from her. Weiss was well aware she would match her partner in complexion. "Penny, maybe we should avoid terms of endearment for now. Mistress carries connotations I'd rather not get into this morning."

"I apologize. I did not mean to cause any discomfort," Penny apologized. Penny's precious gemstones dimmed a bit at Weiss's words.

"Penny... why don't we leave it at friends. That's what we are, after all," Weiss offered. The gemstones brightened once more. Penny threw herself into Weiss's arms again, giving her another tight hug.

A loud crash interrupted the hug. Penny's attention was drawn to the window. By now, predawn had begun bathing the world in warm pinks, allowing Weiss to just barely make out a shape near the ruins of her old desk. The pair of lupine ears jutting up from the figure's head and the sheepish way she held herself told Weiss Rutwo or Ruby was responsible. "Sorry, sorry. I'm trying to locate my parchment," Rutwo hastily whispered.

Weiss sighed, but the scolding she had intended to give caught in her throat. Yes, the room was a disaster. The broken furniture still laid scattered throughout the room. On her worst day in Atlas, she would have never allowed anything like this to happen. But for the first time, a word she had never understood danced on her lips. Home. In the past, it meant a cold mansion. Now, it meant family. Once the others awoke, she would make them clean it, but somehow it felt right.

Weiss and Penny joined Rutwo in their search for the parchment. After a moment's search, they found all of the pages responsible for the enchantments. The redhead rifled through the small stack of papers, pulling the two pertaining to her free. "Planning on returning to normal?" Weiss asked her half-partner.

"I... I won't rejoin with the other me without talking to her first. It wouldn't be fair to her," Rutwo answered. "But the ears have to go. I never wanted a pair. I liked being me," she concluded, voice dripping with unspoken pain.

Disappointment and pride warred within Weiss. She would not get her partner back, her real partner, today. She found herself missing the bundle of trouble. But, this part of her, this shadow, was showing her a side of Ruby she had never dreamed existed. Who knew Ruby was so smart? One thing was certain; Ruby would not cheat off her notes and homework next semester. The other one, she was like Ruby distilled into a concentrate. Being an extrovert was surprising, but it fit her.

Something of her thoughts must have pierced her veil as Rutwo's face hardened. She violently tore the page holding her faunus change into shreds. "Rutwo, what's wrong?" Weiss asked her. A slight grimace crossed her face, before vanishing beneath a mask of perfect neutrality.

"I'm fine. I'm going to get us breakfast," she harshly whispered.

"May I accompany you? I would like the opportunity to spend more time with my best friend," Penny brightly explained. Whatever was troubling her friend, Penny was confident she could help her. It was her duty as her friend. Rutwo threw her clothes on and stormed out the room, Penny hurrying after her.

"What did I do wrong?" Weiss's melodic voice echoed throughout the dorm, unable to find the answer.


End file.
